Time Reversal
by eliphya
Summary: AU. Hinata has the ability to reverse time. She is very frugal with it until one day Naruto Uzumaki has an accident. She finds herself saving his life but it doesn't end there as Death seems to follow him. [NaruHina]
1. Chapter 1

_She could not even move one muscle, too paralyzed was she from the scene in front of her own eyes. A trace of red graced the pavement and the sight of the color made her stomach churn._

_This was her fault._

_A crowd had gathered around the boy, called him to wake him up but he wouldn't wake._

_This was all her fault._

Hinata looked up from her book briefly and let the warm sunshine lighten her face.

Spring had arrived and banished the gloomy streets of Konoha, thereby providing its warmth and brightness.

The morning was loud from the passing cars and the line of students on their way to school, chatting about their weekend. Nevertheless it was a pleasant day that made Hinata's body feel like getting energized again after the cold winter.

Her ears caught fragments of her two friend's conversation and she smiled when it turned into a light bickering between them. The backs of them always gave her comfort and feel at home.

Kiba and Shino were pretty much her only friends. It wasn't that people didn't like her, she just wasn't very good with strangers and making new friends. Hinata was quiet and timid and she knew that that didn't make it easy for other people to approach her. But she was pleased with the way things were and happy with the life she had.

Additional to her boringly normal and unspectacular existence she had the unexpected ability to reverse time. It was odd and totally didn't suit her tranquil life style. It seemed out of place and too far from reality to be true. But it was.  
How often had she questioned this fact and tried to convince herself that this was just a fantasy from a wild dream. But it turned out to be real, which had taken her quite a time to get used to.

No matter how extraordinary this was, Hinata had refused to use it in a large scale. She gave herself extra minutes in the morning when getting ready for school or made up for some of her clumsy mishaps. Never more than that.  
It scared her a little bit, that she was able to reverse the time like that and she was sure that she wasn't the right person to have this power.

Her ability was a well kept secret, that she was too frightened of to abuse it any further and tried to keep her distance with other people. Hinata believed that humans shouldn't have this capability, so she did her best to hide that she had it and pretend that she hadn't.

"Naruto are you even listening to me?" Sakura narrowed her brows and gave her blond friend a skeptical look.  
But he didn't show any signs of comprehension, instead continued to mindlessly watch the light blue sky and the clusters of fluffy clouds.  
She thrust him in the rips, finally receiving his attention after he grunted in pain.

"What?" His eyelids were still heavy and the expression that had settled on his face made it appear like he had suddenly been roused from his sleep. Waking up early for school would probably never be his thing. Every of his muscles felt like it was sucked of energy.

"Forget it." She sighed and looked away. "I don't want to deal with your sleepy self." If it was any other time Naruto would have protested to know what she wanted to say but right now he didn't have the power to do so, too much did he wish to be in bed again.

The group of students, headed to the school, briefly stopped at a red light, where Naruto took his time to look around. The students who joined them at the crosswalk greeted him or gave him a pat on the shoulder. He tried to counter them with the same cheery expression he usually bestowed.  
Then he distracted himself with another look around the lively neighborhood. The roof of his school peaked behind the for anew blooming rows of trees.

Naruto didn't notice the turning green of the traffic light until Sasuke resounded from the other side of the street, Sakura standing next to him and waving.

"Naruto, what are you doing? Hurry up." His best friend rarely raised his voice and even now, when his volume was louder than normally it was impossible for Sasuke to lose his cool. His face still mirrored the calmness it always did and sometimes Naruto asked himself how he had the skill to do so.

Students already passed him from the sides and Naruto interrupted his immobility, making his first step in crossing the street. Sasuke and Sakura turned around, the girl whipping out her cellphone, and proceeded their walk in a speed that made sure that Naruto would easily be able to catch up to them.

But when Naruto saw something dropping from a girls bag he came to a standstill. He leisurely picked up the item, that appeared to be a pendant from her bag. He briefly observed the plastic flower with a tag on the other side before he rose his gaze again, in search for its owner. He discovered her in a fair distance, oblivious that she had lost something on her way.

"Hey, you with the book!"

Hinata instinctively turned around when she heard the voice, not noticing the screeching of tires from an advancing car.  
The boy who had called her curved his lips into a smile when she locked her gaze with his and visibly lifted the flower tag that usually graced her shoulder bag.  
She halted when she realized that she was indeed the person he had called.

The sudden appearance of a black vehicle disturbed her view when it mercilessly hit Naruto with its terrifying speed.  
Her surroundings turned into slow-motion, as the boy rammed the cars windshield and rolled over the roof, roughly dashing against the asphalt.

The sounds of the the impact echoed in her ears and she lost the grip of her book. And suddenly it appeared like the whole world stopped its doing to watch him hit the hardness of the ground.  
Her eyes widened as if they didn't believe what just happened.

Her environment blended into a dull noise of screams and screeching, making her head pain from the discomfort caused by it.  
People rushed at Naruto's side, quickly passing her and bumping into her in their hurry. It felt like her heart had stopped beating and slit down instead. Hinata saw how people opened their mouths widely but she couldn't hear a word they said, her senses only fixated the boy, whose fair strands of hair had taken on a red color, spreading its shade on the ground as well.

A crowd had gathered around him, seemingly blocking her view but between the gaps of their legs Hinata could see that Naruto didn't open his eyes no matter how much they shouted. They didn't dare to touch him but huddled down pure shock and fright reflecting on their faces.

Someone shook Hinata's shoulder and called her name but she didn't dare to avert her eyes from the happening. She was paralyzed but still trembling in her shock.

"No," she murmured and softly shook her head in disbelief.

_This wasn't suppose to happen._

Despite the haziness of her mind and her inability to think straight she firmly squinted her eyes. She told herself to breath again but somehow she wasn't able to. She rather squinted her eyes harder. Her skin hurt at the amount of strength she put into this little gesture.

The ringing in her ears disappeared altogether and she felt the revival of her beating heart. For a short moment her surrounds felt quiet and light, as if everything was at peace. And when she opened her eyes again the brightness of the sun welcomed her.

"Hey, you with the book!"

The familiarity of the exclamation made her flinch and when she turned towards Naruto this time she heard the speeding car, in the knowledge of what would happen next. Quickly she made one step after another, at the same time panicking that she didn't reverse far enough.

Naruto widened his eyes in surprise at the sight of the girl running towards him with a tense and scared expression on her face.

When he felt an overwhelming ache in his back he realized that she had tackled him down. His hands, which had tried to decrease the impact of his fall, bruised terribly.

Hinata had firmly embraced him, wounding her arms when they met with the ground. She knew that her knees hurt but she was able to block out the pain. She pressed herself tightly against Naruto's body, like she wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be able to escape her hold even if he tried to.

It took him too many seconds to process what had happened. He recalled the earsplitting sound of screeching tires and when he saw the black car, that stood in the middle of the junction his brain regained the ability to put one and one together.

The girl loosened her grip on him but still refused to completely let go.  
When he sat up they locked their gazes. Hers staring at him in worry and his in a stunned manner. Her already big eyes were widened and blinked vigorously and her brows were knitted together.  
Naruto watched her facial features for awhile and noticed how they soothed again, not realizing the calling from people around them.

Their heavy breathing slowed down again, making it possible for him to open his mouth. But he wasn't able to utter a single sound and instead reacted with silence when someone quickly helped the girl up and steadily took her away from him.

After they had already greatly distanced themselves from Naruto, Hinata recognized Kiba's and Shino's grab on each of her arm, asking her questions while they roamed their eyes over her body in search of a grave injury. She didn't understand what they said but nodded spiritlessly.  
The pain in her knees reappeared again and, although her friends supported her, she wondered how she was even capable to walk on her own feet.

When she turned her head around, she saw Naruto still sitting on the ground surrounded by a group of people, from which some had kneeled down next to him.  
He didn't give them any of his attention but rather looked after Hinata with widened eyes and an agape mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

Sighingly Hinata closed the door behind her, looking at the ground while doing so. Her fingers lingered on the doorknob as she recalled the principals praising words she had bombed the girl with.

"We are so proud to have such a brave student visiting our school." Tsunade had smiled when she patted Hinata's shoulder.  
She was known for her strict character. The girl had never seen such a friendly expression on the woman and had been taken aback when the principals lips had curved and exposed her white teeth.

No matter how praising the words were or how well-intended the intentions were behind them, Hinata's visit to the office had felt awkward and uncomfortable, and she was more than just relieved that it was over.

She had never been the person to like crowds or enjoy the time at the center of attention. It had happened that she received praise from her teachers, yet she always remained humble about those and was glad when they moved on to the next topic.

But since she had "saved" Naruto from the speeding car it seemed like the whole school was watching every step she took and was glued to any word her lips uttered. She didn't just save a fellow student but also the star baseball player of their school.  
Considering the fact that she was still a junior but received all kinds of heroic nicknames from the senior classes was too much attention for her taste.

She certainly didn't believe that she deserved any praise and she felt unwell whenever the accident was mentioned.  
First because she was assuming that the whole situation had been her fault to begin with and secondly because she didn't want to be reminded of the horror scenario. Sometimes the image of Naruto's blood creeped back into her inner eye and every time the urge to puke rose from the deeps of her stomach.

She wanted this uproar to be over as fast as possible, so that she could go back to quietly reading books in her breaks and conversing with Kiba and Shino at lunch.

However quietly walking down the hallway, as she was used to and liked it, wasn't possible and countless pairs of eyes followed her.  
Hinata looked at the ground, as if it was possible to block them out like this. But she could hear every word they said in their supposedly quiet voices and sensed the gazes that drilled into her back.

She held her hand protectively to her forehead to cover the sides of her eyes, when she turned around the next corner, and bumped into someone. She bounced back.

"There you are! I was looking all over for you." The huskiness of Naruto's voice made her hackles get up as she unintentionally remembered the unpleasant memory she would give anything for to forget.  
The bright smile remained on his face when he questioningly tilted his head as silence and widened eyes were the only response to his his call.

"Are you okay?" As if he wasn't close enough already, he took another step towards the girl, who backed away. He reacted with sheepishly scratching the back of his head.  
The apparent familiarity of his words and actions felt strange to her.

"I'm fine. Sorry." Hinata brushed a strand behind her ear and tried to put on a calm expression. She had made an effort to avoid every confrontation with the boy, when in reality she knew that that was not possible under the conditions their roads had crossed.

She was sure that under any other circumstances he would have never talked to her. He was a class above her and also far more popular than she was. He played baseball very well, and from watching him briefly on the sidelines she knew that he had a bright and enthusiastic nature.  
She knew who he was, but she was more than sure that he didn't know who she was.

"Yeah, I…" Now meeting the girl who had saved his life left him speechless. How did you thank someone for saving your life? He hadn't been able to utter a word after the accident and additionally she disappeared too quickly from his sight.

He couldn't help his fingers from nervously scratching his head and became even more anxious when he realized that there was a good amount of students who watched them in their silence.

"Here." Naruto held something in her direction. Hinata raised her brows in surprise at the sight of her flower tag in his hand. She had completely forgotten about the item even when she knew that it had played a crucial role in their history.

"I wanted to give it back earlier but I couldn't find you," he said, not knowing that Hinata had deliberately evaded him. When he caught her staring at the plastic pendant instead of reaching towards it, Naruto became flustered.

"It's yours, right?" He turned the tag around and lifted it a little more. "Ya name's on it, so I thought-"

"Yes, it's mine." She took the pendant. The thought of how much this little item had changed her life had made her hesitate but also bewildered her. It didn't just change her life but also his. "Thank you."

"No, need to thank me. If anything I have to thank you." He smiled, waiting for her to lift her head and look into his eyes before he continued. "You saved me."

Naruto didn't understand why her gaze would get gloomier. His smile faded. Did he say something wrong?

The sudden resounding of the bell rescued Hinata from her misery. She quickly said goodbye and disappeared too fast for Naruto to follow her.

He tilted his head.

* * *

Hinata reread the handwritten words on the white paper.

_Dear Hinata Hyuuga,_

_we had thought about several options on how to get in contact with you and out of all of those we thought that a letter would be the most appropriate._

_We were more than shocked to hear about the accident and that a fellow student jumping in front of the speeding car is the reason that we are still able to embrace our son._

_It won't be possible for us to show you the amount of gratitude we feel and how thankful and relieved we are that you were there in the right place at the right time. The greatness of our gratitude makes us feel shameful since you weren't less endangered._

_But you saved our son and there are no words that would be great enough to thank you for that._

Her fingers cramped and her hold around the paper became tighter, kinking the paper slightly. She scanned through the rest of the letter before she stopped at the addressor.

_Sincerely,_

_Kushina Uzumaki &amp; Minato Namikaze_

After observing the words for another time she carefully folded the paper and put it back into its envelope. She had received the letter from Tsunade and was told it was sent from Naruto's parents.

The moment she had put her fingers on the envelope she had felt a rush of guilt streaming down her body.

She didn't want them to feel grateful for her saving him, after all she was the one who had endangered Naruto in the first place.

Additionally she sensed a tickling deep down, that reminded her of the uncertainty if she was even allowed to change occurrences like she had. She had revived a dead person and the longer it took for this matter to be settled, the restless she got.

There were no guidelines or rules she had received with her abilities and it made her anxious.

Nevertheless she wanted to at least give the impression that she appreciated his parents' words of gratitude and reached for pen and paper, pondering about a way to form a modest response.

* * *

Hinata roamed her eyes over the cafeteria for the remarkable blond hair she was looking for. Tiptoeing in her search, she pressed an envelope firmly to her chest.

She had realized that Naruto's parents hadn't put their address on their letter, so using Naruto as a messenger was the most reasonable way she could think of to respond to them.

She refused to ask someone of Naruto's whereabouts. But the confidence, that she would be able to find him on her own, decreased with every passing minute.  
Making the decision to make another round over the schoolyard, she stepped under the glazing sunshine.

Chitchatting students pervaded her ears and she dared to look around for a bit as her legs guided her over the large court.  
Some students had laid down on the grass and closed their eyes as the sunshine lightened their faces. Some played ball games and shouted when they celebrated a success.  
If she hadn't been so eager to find a certain person, she probably would find her own activity to enjoy her time outside.

When her eyes finally took sight of Naruto, her feet stopped in their walk. He was chatting with some boys she knew were on the baseball team with him. He laughed loudly about something one of them had said and tabbed him on the shoulder.

Hinata walked up to him in a shy manner and when she called his name, he turned his head, astonished to discover her. The boys next to him seemed to recognized who she was and presented her a similar look. She tried to not take them into account.

"Sorry, but can I talk with you for a bit." Her voice was smaller than she had intended to make it sound like.

"Sure." He nodded, still obviously bewildered.

Naruto followed Hinata slowly moving away from the group, his friends' gazes tracking them.

They halted at one of the schools walls, not very far away from their starting point but out of earshot, protected by the shade of the building.

"Because of the letter your parents had sent me."

"My parents wrote you a letter?" Naruto's expression showed that he was oblivious about the situation. Hinata was somewhat dumbfounded that he didn't know about it and nodded hesitantly. "What did it say?" His voice didn't give any indications of his opinion on his parents contacting her.

"They thanked me," she answered. "What they really didn't have to do." She briefly averted her eyes on the ground at this part.

Hinata then released her own letter from her tight embrace, smoothing it before she handed it over.

"This is a response to them." Somehow his brows managed to raise higher and his surprised mien made her uneasy. "I mean… eh… I didn't have your a-address so I couldn't… I thought that m-maybe I could give it to you und you give it to them? If you don't want to-" Her stammering was cut off when he started laughing.

"Of course I can, sorry, I was just surprised." He took the letter and observed it closely as if there was more to see than his parents' names on the white paper. "I'll give it to them," he added, smiling brightly.

"Okay." She hoped that her letter would be the last words concerning the accident and that they would hopefully be able to let go of this matter soon. "Goodbye then." She turned on her heel and speedily walked away.  
But when she heard a panicked "Look out!" and the ringing sound of something shattering, she turned back.

Her breath caught when she faced Naruto's lifeless body laying on the ground. Scenes from the prior car accident blended with her view as she saw his head surrounded by a pool of red liquid. Every part of her body was paralyzed and, just like before, refused to follow the instructions from her brain. The scene was so similar that she doubted its validity.

She sighted a broken flowerpot, the soil it had contained bursted from its cage and the lilac flower drowning in Naruto's blood. A football laid not far away from the scene, enabling Hinata to realize what had happened.

When she found her breath again, she took a small step forward but she couldn't go any further than that.

_How could this be?_

She closed her eyes in a reflex action. She didn't explicitly think about what to do, and before she had even the chance to, the clash of shouting voices around her dissolved. It was dead silent for a moment.

She opened her eyes to the back of a laughing Naruto, standing together with his friends.  
It felt surreal how different the scenery was compared to before. She was so stunned that she stayed motionless, even when the group sighted her.

Naruto turned around, visibly surprised about her presence, his friends also fixating her. It was hard to banish the bloody images, as they were still freshly in her mind. The memory of the color of his blood made her feel sick. But she had to forget about it, at least for the time being.

"There is something I have to give you." She couldn't completely contain her voice from trembling but hoped that Naruto wouldn't notice. She held her letter out to him.

"What is this?" He took the envelope as his friends subtly moved away. Naruto detected his parents' names on the paper and rose his head again, confusion written on his face.

Hinata drew in a deep breath. Her heartbeat was fast and she couldn't tame it.

"Your parents wrote me a letter to thank me and this is my response." She didn't give him a chance to react to her words. "Since I don't know your address I thought that you could hand it over."

His features softened and his lips formed a crooked smile.

"I'll give it to them."

An awkward silence emerged but both parties didn't abandon their places. Naruto scratched the back of his head, expecting her to say something else. While Hinata had perked up her ears, awaiting the falling flowerpot. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, disturbing her concentration. She nervously clenched a fist.

"I'll leave then."

"No wait!" She grabbed his arm in panic and firmly pulled at him. He first glanced at her grasp before he looked up. Seconds where they just stared into each others eyes passed, without one of them saying a word. Hinata forgot to question her sudden boldness, as that had never been one of her traits.

A loud chink made them flinch and turn their heads towards the source. A football bounced back and forth on the ground before it landed next to broken pieces of a flowerpot.

A student approached the spot of scattered soil. He picked up the ball letting out a quiet "Oops." and ran away again.

The knot in Hinata's chest dissolved, leaving behind a feeling of relief.

"That's all I wanted to say." She released Naruto's arm, and gained back his attention.

"What?"

"You can go back to your friends now." She knew how weird she might appeared to him but she didn't want to be the first person to leave since she was scared that something else would happen in her absence.  
She waited for him to turn away first, what he did hesitantly, looking more than just confused.

But after advancing barely a few steps between them, his mouth broke into a grin and he looked back at her.

"See ya, Hinata." He waved, not knowing about the whirlwind of emotions inside the girl.


	3. Chapter 3

She had been standing motionless for several minutes already, not minding the hot jet of water drumming merciless against her skin.  
She had thought that a steamy shower would distract her but she felt like suffocating between the four walls of the cabin.

Whenever she closed her eyes the memories came back. Bloody images of Naruto dying over and over again like in a loop. No matter how often she had seen it over the past weeks, it shocked her every time to the core. Her chest felt heavy and there wouldn't be anything that she'd rather do than screaming as loud as her lungs would allow her to, setting free the tension and fear she housed inside.

Hinata was scared of seeing Naruto again and relive that unpleasant experience but she was also frightened that he would die when she wasn't around, without giving her the chance of undoing it.  
It was too much for her to handle. Her head felt like it would burst any further minute she thought about it.

But thinking about something else didn't work. The memories might be able to eat her alive.

She tapped her chest as it got harder for her to breath, gasping when she exhaled. She pressed a hand on her mouth to suppress her sobs, sinking to the bottom of the shower. The water continued to rain on her, at least muffling her whimper.

She dug her head between her naked legs, her hand still firmly closing her mouth. The water was hot and steamy but she felt ice cold, trembling in the downpour.

She felt lonely.

* * *

Her head throbbed terribly and her eyes burned every time she opened them.  
Hinata ran her fingers through her long hair, letting out a solitary sigh as she shuffled her way around the schoolyard. The cafeteria had made her sleepier and gloomier than she already felt, so she excused herself from her friends and went outside.

She had welcomed the ever glowing sun at first but now desired a calm place in the shades. Her chances of finding one though were completely impossible. Every imaginable place was taken.  
She would give anything for a good sleep in her bed, but her current state of mind prevented her from fulfilling that wish.

The sunshine was heating the back of her head. If the afternoon classes started soon she would at least have something to keep her busy.  
But the time passed unbelievably slow, arousing in her the idea to use her ability to go further in time for once. She didn't know if that was possible since she never had had a reason to try it before. Right when she pondered about the possibility, she heard her name being called from the side.

Naruto was sitting under a tree, one hand outstretched to wave and a wide smile on his face. He seemed to always carry that smile around. After weeks of unavoidable encounters, she had been able to study his face in detail.

When he laughed it wasn't just the curve on his lips, that displayed his happiness but also a certain glint in his eyes. He had a never ending warm aura surrounding him and she had learned to understand why he was so popular.  
Because why would anyone not want to bathe in that warmth he emitted?

Hinata wondered how she had overlooked his presence and therefore her waving was delayed. She was uncertain when she had arrived at this part of the school, as her current location was a more secluded area.

Because of its security students often spend their time here when they needed a place to relax. It was filled with trees and bushes surrounding a small pond, where the schools biology teachers liked to get all sorts of material for their classes. It was really a pleasant place to stay in the colder seasons but lovely when spring bloomed.

"Where are you headed to?" Naruto shifted forward to see her better, half of his face darkened by the trees shade he was sitting under.

Hinata pondered about an answer that wouldn't mean that she walked around aimlessly like someone who is lost. But she had no strength to think of a better explanation. She might be even more exhausted than she had thought.

"Nowhere exactly."

His smile faded and brows rose.  
"You don't look very well."

She took a small step back. Hinata knew that it wasn't possible to hide the redness of her eyes and the dark circles that graced them. She was probably paler than usual and crouched a little because of her sleep deprivation. But still, her miserable appearance being pointed out like that surprised her.

Naruto's eyes popped open.  
"N-not that you're bad looking. I mean… It's… You look…" He gestured wildly with his hands and Hinata couldn't keep her mouth corners from rising, watching him in his stammering.

"I'm just tired that's all. I couldn't sleep very well," she assured him.

"Is that so." He laughed sheepishly and lowered his arms again. After observing her for another second, in which Hinata contemplated about the most appropriate way to say goodbye, his infamous smile found its home on his lips again.

"You should rest then." He grabbed her wrist and lightly pulled her down. Because she was neither prepared for his action nor had enough energy to oppose, flopped next to him.  
The grass felt a little wet under her knees but it was cooling. Additionally the leaf tree finally gave her the protection she needed from the sun.

"You said, that you had nowhere specific to go right?" He couldn't hide the evidence of his bold move as his ears reddened. "You can take a break here and close your eyes for a while."

In that following moments of silence a lot of thoughts crossed Hinata's mind. While still on her knees, she remembered that something bad always happened when she was by his side. If she just stood up and walked away maybe she would be spared from such an experience at least for today.

But somehow she also thought about possible reasons, good reasons, to stay.  
It was true that she needed sleep more than anything right now and resting under the shade of this tree sounded like music in her ears. How nice would it be to just close the eyes and black out everything else.

Also there was this little spark in her that didn't want to leave. It was odd but she felt good when he was there. Her insides tickled and rays of his aura brightened her. It shouldn't be possible under the circumstances and it was hard to admit that it was true.

Hinata straightened the clothes of her school uniform and sat down next to him, their shoulders nearly brushing.  
The thick trunk behind her back supported her. She crossed her legs and laid her hands in her lap, feeling the fabric of her skirt with her fingertips.

Naruto watched her as she positioned herself. He silently thanked his brilliant brain that had persuaded him to ditch lunch with Sasuke and Sakura.  
Over the past weeks he had found a joy in talking with her. She was timid and a contrast to the busy and loud circles he usually found himself in. Sometimes he noticed a dusk of rosy color on her cheeks and he automatically smiled when recognizing it.

It was silent, not in an awkward kind of way but calming instead. Muffled voices of students advanced to them, just quiet enough for them to hear the birds chirping their songs.

"My parents are really thankful for your letter by the way. I forgot to tell you about it." He kept a soft voice to not disturb the silence too much. He looked ahead instead of turning his head, in the confidence that she listened to him. "They were about to send you another." Naruto chuckled by the thought of his parents and Hinata becoming something like pen pals.  
He figured what the letters probably had said but still he regretted that he hadn't taken a peek at what she wrote.

Naruto cleared his throat when she remained soundless to his short story.

"There is actually something I wanted to ask you." He sat up and rubbed his hands on his pants. However the feeling of a weight on his shoulder prevented him from resounding.  
Hinata had leaned against his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed.

He hadn't expected her to actually fall asleep and observed her for a while to be sure. She sighed and weighted heavier against his arm, her chest rising and falling in a steady manner.

"She must be really tired," he thought to himself and smiled softly. Her hair danced in the waves of the wind breeze and tickled her nose when the sun escaped from behind one of the clouds. Hinata frowned sensing the rays lightening her face.

Naruto lifted his hand in direction of the light source and produced a shade on her face. He adjusted it so that her eyes stayed untouched from the light, being careful that she didn't lose the support of his shoulder.

He laughed out when her features softened again, hoping that lunch break wouldn't end too soon.

* * *

The students had spread, leisurely chatting in their corresponding groups as they waited for their teacher to arrive and start the next class.

Hinata killed the time by watching the baseball team training for the upcoming game while leaning outside of the open window. She had discovered Naruto, his blond spikes peeking under his red cap. The teams white uniforms were already stained with dirt, the caps with the official red color of the school standing out like daisies on a grass field.

Now that she had gotten to know Naruto a little better, she spotted features in his playing she hadn't noticed before. Like his passion for the game mirroring on his face or the way his hands played with the ball before he got into position to throw it.

She didn't know much more about baseball than the basic rules but the way Naruto moved when he pitched the ball impressed her. Somehow she understood why people referred to him as Konoha's star pitcher.  
Her eyes were glued to him striking out one player after another.

"So, what did you do today?" Kiba had joined her at the windowsill. Hinata had flinched when he suddenly resounded next to her, interrupting her absentmindedly looking outside. Shino appeared at her other side, leaning his back against a closed window.

"Not much. Just stretching my feet." Hinata removed her arms from the sill when the eyes of her friends observed her severely.  
Shino had crossed his arms over his chest and Kiba skeptically rose a brow.

"Is that so?" he asked, when in reality the words coming from his mouth didn't even sound like a question. "Ya do seem better than this morning."

Hinata caught the undertone in his voice and looked back and forth between them. While Kiba moved his head closer to her, Shino kept his position but both boys presenting her with judging glimpses in union.

"Is something wrong?" Her pupils still shifting to and fro.

"We know that you hung out with him today." He gestured with his head outside, making sure that Hinata was able to follow his indication. "Instead of eating with us by the way," he added subdued.

Hinata's cheeks flushed by reflexively reminiscing about the memory under the tree this noon.  
"Ah, that." She held up her hands in defense. "That was nothing, really."

But her explanation wasn't enough to chase Kiba's daunting expression. Shino casted a glance outside, sighing loudly in her direction.

"We met coincidentally." But her words stayed unheard and uncared as Kiba already continued.

"Are ya dating him now?"

"No!" she answered, much too quickly and too loud compared to her usual way of speaking. She had swiftly turned her head toward the boy, her hair stirring frantically in her pivot.

"And do you want to?" She averted towards Shino's deep voice now, already opening her mouth in her movement to deny his question. Yet she closed her lips again, when the denial didn't leave them as she planned to.  
She was speechless. She couldn't object.

"I don't know," she muttered to herself after a while, as her gaze searched for the blond culprit, running in the dust of the field.  
And as if he had waited for his cue, he looked up at her. First wondering and narrowing his eyes to ensure that Hinata was the girl, who monitored him.

Then Naruto rose the hand he had used to shield himself from the sun and waved at her, giving up on the intense stare he usually had when he put on that glove and threw that white ball in his incredible speed.

Hinata waved back, feeling the gazes of her friends in her neck. She really didn't know.


	4. Chapter 4

Muffled noises reached her ears. It was a mixture of voices and a bunch of other things she couldn't distinguish from one another. A bright light on the ceiling blinded her, when she slowly tried to open her eyes. She squinted them before making another attempt in finding out where she was.

She slowly regained her senses. The noises became more distinct and her blurry vision cleared gradually. Hinata blinked a few times when she realized that she must be in the emergency room. The typical hospital smell of the disinfect confirmed her assumption.

Yellow colored curtains hung at the sides and isolated her from the others. She turned her head to inspect her surroundings in more detail and noticed someone laying his head on her bed.  
Her back ached terribly when she sat up in reflex, the pain rushing along her spine and forcing a wailing moan from her mouth. Slowly the girl laid down again. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with pain, not just in her back but also her hips and rips. An awfully buzzing headache made her frown.

As if the rush of unpleasantness helped her remember the incident that had brought her here, she looked at the figure on her bed, who she had already identified as a sleeping Naruto.

He had had a big baseball game and the whole school had celebrated when his team won. They lifted him and cheered loudly. Hinata, who had watched the game anxiously became even more uneasy when she saw them hovering around him on their way back inside the school.  
She had achieved a habit of being extremely careful whenever she saw Naruto doing something even remotely dangerous. Everything seemed to be a threat to his life.

Being so protective of him made her forget her own safety sometimes. It had been a huge chaos of too many people when they arrived at the back gates of the school. While Hinata had tried to make advances to Naruto she fell down the flight of stairs in front of the school's entrance.  
Everything had happened too fast for her to register but she could still remember the people calling her when she rolled down. Apparently she had become unconscious as she couldn't remember anything after that.

Naruto smacking his lips regained her attention and she smiled softly seeing the calm expression on his sleeping face. Why was he here? Because he was worried for her? The sole thought of that made her heart jump and her cheeks flare. Her eyes lighted up when she wondered how he could sleep so soundly in a place like this and she observed him more closely.

He had his head rested on his crossed arms and snored lightly, a trace of drool running down the corner of his mouth.  
His cheeks were a little bloated and Hinata had to fight the urge to poke them, repressing that these kind of impulsions were very unusual for her.

Now that his wild hair didn't cover his forehead anymore, she recognized that his eyebrows were thinker than she had thought and got surprised at the length of his eyelashes.  
She had never had the chance to observe him this way, and even if he didn't know that she was watching him like this, she could feel them warmth of embarrassment in her face.

His blond strands invited her to run through them and she rose a hand to do so, slowly approaching him with her shy fingers to pat him.  
But when she already felt the his hair-ends, an unpleasant thought hit her. It was random but shocked her to the cores.

What if it was her closeness that made him experience all these things? She realized that all these bad things only happened to him when she was around.  
Never had something happened on weekends or after school. Only when she was there, as if she should have to witness the brutality.

Her hand had stopped its approach. Her chest tightened when she continued her black thoughts. What if she was the reason he died over and over again?  
Suddenly the past accidents made sense. She held her hand to her chest. The woe in it was far worse than in her back. It was a piercing pain that took a hold of her whole body.

Her eyes still fixated him but her mind was a mess. How much she would like to be unconscious again. Away from the worries and the fear that she might be the reason that someone lived through an unmeasurable amount of again and yet again.

Her brain was so busy that she couldn't even react properly when Naruto's eyes popped open and his head jumped up. His gaze widened when he realized that she was awake. His cheek had a imprint from the way he had slept and a twine of drool still graced his mouth.

"Hinata, you're awake!" Even though they were in a hospital, he didn't restrain his voice, what gained him a few judging glances from passerby.  
Naruto cocked his eyebrows when her facial features didn't move as he wanted them to. Her lips were pressed to a thin line and her eyes mirrored upset.

"What's wrong? Are you still in pain?" His hands moved to touch her but then halted, confused if he was even allowed to lay a finger on her.

Hinata couldn't dismiss her new enlightenments. Seeing his usual and awake self made her feel even more guilty than she had been before. How could someone hurt a person who was as kind and cheerful as Naruto?  
She couldn't even answer his questions.

"When did you wake up? I'm sorry I fell asleep." He had tried his best not to but he didn't sleep before he had important games in the fear of being too drowsy in the morning and be a complete klutz in the game.

Her not answering or even opening her mouth increased his worries of her. She had her forehead in wrinkles and eyed him in a way, that he couldn't describe or understand.

* * *

Kiba and Shino hadn't left Hinata's side since her little trip down the stairs. Telling them that they didn't have to was useless.  
The girl appreciated their concern and for some odd reason it made her feel good when they arranged the seat to make her feel comfortable. She didn't want to trouble them but the feeling of being cared for was pleasant nevertheless.

After several days of resting, Hinata had returned to school. She had been surprised about the amount of questions she had received about her wellbeing. It appeared that her fame had failed to decrease yet.

She had decided to avoid Naruto until she was able to organize her thought. It had been much easier when she laid in her bed at home but now that she was in school again this task strained her more than it was good for her.

She was confused of the current situation and hopeless of what to do. Just the sheer thought of it made her head ache.  
When ever she saw blond that resembled Naruto's shock of hair in the slightest, she went inkognito.

"You're Hinata's friends right? Have you seen her?" Naruto had approached Kiba and Shino, who had been startled by his ambush. The blond looked around while he waited for an answer.

Shino glanced at Hinata, who had hid behind the next corner. She shook her head vigorously in his direction, pleading with her eyes to not expose her current position.

"No we haven't," he answered cooly, without any indications of his lie. Naruto thanked them and hurried away, his eyes scanning the busy hallway in his passing.

The boys looked after him before they joined Hinata in her hideout.

_"Dad, why was Naruto here?" With the help of her father, Hinata had been able to sit up in her bed. She had watched him going through the bag he had packed for her short stay in the hospital.  
The question surprised him as she had refused to utter any word after greeting him halfheartedly._

_She blinked at him in an awaiting manner._

_Hiashi Hyuuga was usually a very strict man. A stern gaze constantly piercing through his eye and a strong posture, moving gracefully but indestructible on its way. There weren't many things that made him waver, but one of them was the health of his daughters being at risk._

_"You mean that sleeping kid? You have to tell me." Hiashi put the bag at the foot of the bed and turned towards her, folding his hands on his lap._

_"Kiba and Shino left when I got here, and that boy was already drooling all over the bed when I arrived at your side." It wasn't a very pleasant memory._

_"Is that so," she said weakly and lowered her gaze. Her father frowned._

_"Is there something you want to tell me?"_

"Is there something you want to tell us?" Kiba leaned against the wall and gave his friend a questioning glance. Hinata shook her head again, looking at the ground and avoiding any eye contact.

Kiba put a hand on her head, which made her face him. He looked outside the window across from them.  
"Just know, we are here to talk if you need to." The sun reflected on Shino's dark glasses as he shifted to likewise lay his hand on her head.

The words had silenced her. They were short but heartwarming.

There were so many secrets she would like to tell them. Sometimes her heart craved for comfort and consolation that it was hard for her mouth to remain still.  
She wished for someone to talk to, to share at least a small part of her concerns, in which she felt like drowning any coming day.  
She didn't want to feel lonely with her difficulties anymore.

But for the time being she would say nothing.  
"Thank you."

* * *

Much to her father's discontent, Hinata had decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. Her back still ached a little when she walked too much but a change of scenery helped her with her troubles.  
In the past weeks it had become a habit, that she wasn't ready to give up on yet, despite being injured now.

The sun was setting, shading the sky in orange and purple and showering Konoha with its brightness.  
Her region had never been a very busy one. It was usually quiet, without many people crossing the ways. The streets were clean and free from the loud cars from the main street.  
On this evening as well it didn't lose its calm as Hinata was able to enjoy the stillness as good as she could.

Her long skirt moved lightly in a wind breeze. It had gotten chillier and Hinata wrapped her cardigan tighter around her body. It was probably the time to go home again. Worrying her already uneasy father was not something she desired.  
She had already lost track of the time when she tried to walk her worries away and was sure that her absence took to long for her father's taste.

Right when she passed the neighborhoods playground and pondered that she seldom saw children playing there, she noticed a familiar face on the other side. It was hard to believe her eyes that the figure was Naruto, staring at her the same surprised way she did.

What were the odds of meeting him like this, after she had tried her best to avoid him. She was sure that destiny was fooling with her.  
Wondering if he lived in the neighborhood, she watched him taking his hands out of his pants pockets and approaching her. First gradually, then quicker.

Hinata on the other side was paralyzed. It was not like she could just run away now that he was already walking up to her. Maybe she could go back in time to avoid this meeting. The idea was appealing but she didn't want to, surprising even herself with her twisted wants.

"Hey." Naruto stopped not far away from her.

"Hey." She barely managed to look him in the eyes, nervously playing with her fingers on the side.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as soon as she had greeted him, as if he was dying to hear the answer from her.

It was the first time he saw her wearing something else but her school uniform. He also had never seen her outside of school grounds before, maybe on the way to or away from the building but that didn't count.

"I'm fine." She was able to curve her lips reassuringly.

"You should still sit down though." His eyes roamed around the playground, already looking for a right place. "Come." He lead her towards the swings, which seemed to be the most suitable and nearest possibility for her to rest.

But Hinata wavered in following him. There was no need for them to sit down. They could just small talk before each of them went their own way. If he wanted her to sit, it meant that there was something he wanted to tell her and she was unsure if she wanted to hear whatever it was.

The metal chains of the swings resounded when they took their seats. Oddly the atmosphere was different than all the previous times they had talked but it was hard to tell what kind of mood lingered in the air.

"I looked for you today but couldn't find you." He played with the sand under the tip of his shoe, the swing slightly moving and the chains rattling because of his movements.

"Yes, Kiba and Shino told me about it," she lied. She hadn't really been a good liar before but since her time traveling had brought these consequences, she had become far more skilled. She saved deciding which was better for another time.

"I was worried that you didn't feel good but I'm relieved now that I saw you." He smiled, banishing the serious expression he had carried.

Hinata already regretted looking up at him. His smile was like a bright light and she was a little mosquito mesmerized by it, without being able to restrain. She looked away.

Silence returned, in what a single car passed the playground.

"Hinata," Naruto stopped moving around and halted completely still. "I like you."

When Hinata quickly turned her head to face him, Naruto's smile was gone, instead his lips were firmly pressed together and his eyes had a spark in them she had never seen before.  
Big lavender eyes under creased brows stared at him in disbelief. She hadn't expected that.

Her features softened when she looked away at the ground again. Her hands clenched the metal of the swings chains, hurting her bones with its hardness.

"Why?"

"Huh?" Her question drove away the seriousness of his face and replaced it with stunner.

"Why do you like me?" Her voice was dispirited and resembled a whisper. "Because I saved you from that car?"

"No!" He had reacted too quickly again. When she faced him he realized that he had been too loud too. He relaxed his narrowed brows and collected himself with a deep breath. The right dealing with words didn't count as one of his strengths but he needed to affirm Hinata of his feelings.

"I like you because you play with your fingers when you're nervous."

"Eh?" She inevitable glanced at her fingers, still grasping the metal chain, before looking back at him.

"Also because I think you look cute when you blush." He could feel how his own ears reddened when he spoke. "You constantly make me feel fuzzy inside."

Hinata's gaze was widened, her breath heavier and her mouth agape.

"When you fell down that stairs I was really scared. I don't know how I managed to fall asleep in that situation but I was really worried that you'd be badly injured." Naruto sounded distressed all of sudden. "It happened right in front of my eyes and I blamed myself because I was so close to you but couldn't help you at all."

His words didn't move her just because she felt his sincere concern for her behind them but also because it was the description of the way she felt whenever something happened to him. She would be scared and worried too, also blaming herself. It expressed her emotions so perfectly that she was unsure if Naruto was really the one describing or if she was just imagining things.

Naruto stood up, the swing seesawed back and forth because of his rapid action. The pair of her eyes traced him stopping right in front of her. When she looked up at him, he glowed even more than usual because of the sun setting behind him, lighting him up in the color he liked so much. The rays were blended her a little bit but she wouldn't dare to look away.

"I really like you."  
He put one of his hands on hers around the chain. With the other he approached her face. First brushing her cheek lightly with his fingertips, before cupping her more firmly.  
Then he kissed her. Shy and timid at the beginning, bewaring that she wouldn't be shocked by his doing.

The feeling inside her was amazing, enabling Hinata to forget everything else that had pestered her mind. She closed her eyes, trying to take in as much of the kiss as possible. The roughness of his lips, the tingling of her skin under his fingers and his new scent she just discovered.

She sat up to reach him better, silently promising that she would save him whenever he was in danger.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hinata adjusted the hairband meticulously, moving it slightly to the right then to the left, little bit to the front and then back again._

_She inspected her hairdo carefully in the mirror. She liked the lilac color of the accessorie but somehow it seemed like it didn't fit her as she disliked every adjustment she made._

_The girl shook her head and removed the hairband, putting it back into her drawer. Quickly she combed her shoulder length hair with her fingers._

_When she stroked over the garments of her new middle school uniform a head peaked into the room._

_"Dad is asking if he should drive you to school too." Hanabi grinned when she sighted her older sister gazing herself in the mirror._

_"No I will walk." Hinata overlooked the mischievous smirk on the grade schooler. _

_The younger turned away again, leaving the door open. "Dad, she is walking."_

_Hinata mirrored her face again before she shouldered her schoolbag.  
__Her gaze travelled her reflection and fell on the flower tag attached to her bag. The bright yellow of the plastic sunflower stood out from her blue colored attire and bag. She had won the little piece on a fair not long ago._

_Even when Hinata was pretty sure that it was just a name tag, the booth owner had said that it worked as a lucky charm.  
__It was not like she highly believed that the plastic flower had supernatural powers but still a little luck for the first day of middle school wouldn't be so bad._

"Don't throw the ball too hard." Hinata lowered her bat already for the third time. She gave Naruto an insecure look.

"Don't worry." Naruto played with the baseball in his grip, making it jump from one hand to the other. "I'll be careful."

"Okay." Her voice didn't mirror the self-confidence it should when she lifted the wooden stick from the ground again.

Summer wasn't very far away anymore as the sun already beat down like he usually did in that particular season. The rays hit her back relentlessly and already provoked beads of sweat on her neck.

Hinata had visited Naruto's baseball training in her lunch break and after finishing the boy had suggested to show her the game a little bit.

So now she was standing in a safe distance, across from him. She, trying to remember the instructions he had given her, completely sure that she didn't want to disappoint him and he, enjoying the view of Hinata's hardworking nature even in a simple gesture like lifting the bat the right way.

The worrying look she gave the bat, as if it was a living person pleased him too much to mind the few people who watched them from the sides.  
The cicadas singing loudly in the background accompanied the scene as he waited for her to lock her eyes with his again.

"I've never really played baseball before." Hinata lowered her shoulders again, the bat hanging down leisurely, touching the base with its tip.

"I know, you said that twice now." Naruto groaned and threw his head back but couldn't contain his chuckling when he faced her again. "Raise the bat already."

Hinata pouted.

"Okay." She took her time to position herself, being extremely careful that her poise resembled the one Naruto had showed her.

When she looked at him again, he had the biggest grin on his face, without any trace of containment, openly displaying his delight of her sight. Now he was the one, who had lowered his arms and the ball, which had been ready to be thrown a long time ago.

"Why are you smiling like that?" The girl knitted her brows together and pondered about the possibility that she was standing in a so funny and wrong way that he couldn't do anything but laugh.

"Because you're cute," he said casually in a chaste tone and with an honest smirk on his face. He didn't care much that others could hear his words too.  
Hinata lapsed into silence and wondered how he could bring himself to say such things without losing his smile or reddening crucially.

He seemed to relish her stunned reaction even more as his grin widened and his eyes followed the little movements Hinata made in ponder of how to react the right way. She took a step back, turned her head and hit the bat lightly against the tip of her shoe.

In the few days they had been a couple, he was able to watch her more thoroughly. He had always found the rosy dust on her cheeks appealing and now he could say all sorts of things to make it appear again, without restraint. Being her boyfriend surely had its advantages.

By now Hinata had regained her composure and gave Naruto a severe look. Her forehead was wrinkled and her lips formed into a pout. The blush hadn't vanished completely from her face.

"Throw the ball already."

Naruto was never really the one to care much about what other people said or any gossip that was spread. He knew that he was quite popular in school and that he was often talked about but he neither disliked it very much or enjoyed it greatly.

The talks about him gained in range after Hinata had saved him from the speeding car. It wasn't just about his baseball skills anymore but also his connection with said girl. Students observed, seemingly analyzing the current status of their relationship.  
So they becoming a couple didn't remain unseen from their eagle-eyes. They had explicitly asked them if it was true, congratulated them when their question was affirmed and interrogated the couple for details.

Naruto didn't really understand how it was anyones business but as long as they didn't disturb them gravely, he could live with gossip and the unnecessary attention.

Despite the interested and observing eyes that followed them, Naruto refused to give up the newly emerged addiction of touching Hinata's upper arms when he passed her, brushing away a hair strand when it fell into her face or make her bashful with his innocently stated comments.

But since certain incidents with her friends, he had learned that he should tame himself whenever they were around.  
The sudden encounter with Shino was still branded freshly into his memory and drove shivers down his spine.

The boy with sunglasses had appeared suddenly in front of the blond when he had turned around at the nearest corner from his classroom. A removal of the glasses wasn't needed to know that Shino's gaze was harsh and piercing.  
Naruto had flinched when he had driven closer with his arms crossed over his chest.

"There is something I want to tell you," he had stated. It hadn't been very advantageous for Naruto that he had forgotten Shino's name. He had pressed his lips together when nothing more than the first letter had left his mouth, incapable to find his counterpart's full name in the depths of his brain.

Shino had told him that he should watch what he was doing as he would be watching him strictly.  
"Hinata is a dear friend of mine and I wouldn't advise you to treat her badly."  
The few words hadn't failed in its intention. Naruto sometimes sensed a tickling spot at the back of his head, his brain signaling him to be careful with his next action because it would be watched by Hinata's close friends.

As Shino had formed his words with a frightening but hidden undertone, Kiba had used the method of openly threatening Hinata's new boyfriend.

Naruto had just placed his tray with steaming food on the table in the cafeteria, waiting for Hinata to join him when Kiba took a seat in front of him.  
He had run his hand through his brown hair, sticking out wildly in all directions. Before he had given Naruto any chance to react verbally, he placed his arms on the table and closed in with his face.

"Let's cut right to the point." His eyes had switched between scanning the room and eying Naruto excessively. "I have a dog."  
Naruto had risen a brow in confusion, silently contemplating if he should question him or stay mute. He chose the latter.

"He is pretty big y'know. I raised him very well. He surely is a very good dog and he also follows commands very well." Kiba had approached Naruto further and lowered his voice, making the blond automatically close the gab between their upper bodies.

"He sits and stands when I tell him but also attacks when that's what I want him to do. So you should think about what kind of boyfriend you want to be for Hinata. It wouldn't feel very good if you're a bad one."  
Naruto had sat up stock-still, the white of his eyes gaining in size.

"I taught him very well, just to let you know." Kiba had stood up and patted Naruto's shoulder in a seemingly friendly manner. "Well, good talk."  
The boy disappeared as quickly as he had come along, matching with a baffled Hinata now encountering Naruto at his table.

"What did you talk about?"

"Hinata, your friends are scary."

* * *

_The closer Hinata got to the school, the busier the pathway got. Students joined the walk from the right and from the left, establishing a considerable crowd when it wasn't more than a few streets to their destination._

_Hinata did recognize some faces in the mass of students, all wearing the same blue uniform but she wasn't close enough with any of them to exchange greetings. Thus she silently kept her pace and instead watched her new schoolmates interact._

_She heard several voices ringing behind her in the distance. It was a mixture of laughing and angry exclaiming that approached her gradually.  
__Right when she turned around to face the turmoil, she was pushed to the side and fell to the ground._

_She resounded in agony when she made contact with the hardness of the asphalt, her bag falling of her shoulder.  
__Her knees prickled dreadfully and a glance at them proved that they were indeed bleeding and bruised. The sight of the red blood made her groan a second time._

_From the side she saw how a group of boys shoved away the students in their way as they ran down, towards school she assumed since they were headed that way and wore the right uniform.  
Her short observation was disrupted when she realized that she had fallen off the safeness of the walkway to the streets. But it was too late to act accordingly and escape from any possible danger as a honking car already headed her way._

_The vehicle's headlights were flickering and the honking got louder and more overwhelming until it was just a ear piercing buzz in her head. She heard the voices of the students calling.  
__Hinata rose her arms protectively and squeezed her eyes shut._

_Suddenly the buzzing was gone and when she opened her eyes the image of herself welcomed her.  
__Staggered by her suddenly emerged reflection, she took a few steps back from the mirror. Her legs were weak and unsteady, the danger of collapsing made her seek for support from the desk behind her._

_"Are you listening?"_

_The sound of her sister's voice made her heart dive. "Huh?"_

_The features of Hanabi changed into a grimace. "I said, that Dad is asking if he should drive you to school too." When the older one didn't answer for anew, instead insisted on just staring at her in silence, Hanabi frowned in worry._

_"You okay?" It seemed like her question managed to wake Hinata from her trance. She blinked and stood straight again, lifting the arm that had supported her._

_"Yes, I will be down in a minute."_

_To her luck Hanabi didn't question the weakness of her tone and left the room after a lingering gaze on the figure of her older sister.  
__"Dad, she is coming with us."_

_Hinata waited until she heard Hanabi's footsteps on the stairs to the first floor before she stepped closer to the mirror again._

_She traced her body from head to toe and stopped at her knees. She definitely had seen them bleeding. Somehow it felt wrong that they weren't hurting or wounded._

_Her breathing had slowed down by this point but her heart was still unable to find its resting state._

_What did just happen? Had it been just a dream? But it seemed so vivid and felt so real that that explanation wasn't enough for her to settle again._

_"What's going on?"_

Why was she suddenly thinking about this incident? Her recently forming a relationship with Naruto had made her question the origins of her ability. She had thought about it before but never to this extent.  
It was frustrating and dazing, overall just aggravating that she hadn't any useful information at hand.

She had decided to head everything coming the best she could. It wasn't that easy though since she was anxious of what could happen to Naruto and how well she would be able to react and take action.

At this stage even the thought that the past accidents had just been coincidences had crossed her mind. Anyone else wouldn't be able to image wishful thinking like that but it had been a long time since something had happened. And that was odd as the accidents had been so frequent at the beginning that just breathing around him had been a hard thing to do.

A glance at Naruto assured her that he hadn't noticed her spacing out. The white shirt of his uniform was wrinkled at his back and he had thrown the arm with his bag over his shoulder.  
They had decided to walk home together because they lived in the same neighborhood. It had already become a habit after just a few days.

The hint of a smile played around his lips, bringing Hinata back to reality and out of her memories. And as if he knew, Naruto turned his head and gave her a smile. A simple, curved, content smile, that made her heart pound harder against her chest.

Anything bad could happen whenever she was by his side and she tried to be alert at all times but somehow she felt the best when she was with him. It was weird.

When they waited at a red light, Hinata took a look around. The sun was still blazing unyieldingly on their heads.  
She could spot a few of her classmates here and there. Some of them even presented the couple with curious eyes when they passed by. Hinata pretended that she didn't notice them.

Right when the light turned green, the roaring engine of an approaching car made Hinata startle. She sighted a silver car driving in their direction.  
Maybe it was the fact that the situation resembled the first accident they had or maybe that Naruto didn't give the car any attention. But blended with her impression that the vehicle wouldn't be able to stop at the light because of its speed, Hinata quickly grabbed Naruto's hand and prevented him from stepping on the street.

Her embrace was firm and she even pulled at his arm. It had the desired effect as Naruto froze instead of crossing the street.  
Her abrupt touch had surprised him. Additionally he was confused that Hinata didn't even face him when he looked back at her. Her gaze was fixed at the street and Naruto tried to follow it to find out what it was that had frightened her.

The culprit of her current state halted at the stop line, just as any other car would. Her tensed shoulders relaxed. She could have sworn that it had been too fast to stop on time.

"What's wrong?" They kept standing at the brightly shining green light, hands still clasped together.  
Hinata looked up at a bewildered Naruto, who had bend down a little to match her height. It took her a while to register the situation.

"Sorry." She dropped his hand as if she wasn't allowed to touch it. "I thought I saw something." The short explanation didn't really help to get rid of the lingering confusion but Naruto brushed the matter away as Hinata's shunning gaze didn't give the impression that she wanted to talk about it.

They continued their walk in silence and Naruto stole a few glances of Hinata from the corner of his eye. She seemed absent.  
He cleared his throat before he grasped Hinata's hand. Her eyes enlarged and she stopped.

"What, you don't want to?" He didn't really understand how he was able to act and talk so boldly when his insides were as flustered and jumpy as hers.

"No. I..." Her grasp tightened like she was in fear he would let go after what he had said. She lowered her head and eyed his chest, since she wouldn't be able to utter the following while looking him in the eye. "I do." She gifted Naruto with the blush he was always eager to see again.

Naruto tried to suppress the corners of his mouth from raising too high but it wasn't that easy.

"Good." He continued moving forward and pulled lightly at her to make her follow him. "Then let's walk like this from now on."

Hinata managed to move her fingers against his. His hand was slightly sweaty but big and warm. Not like the sun above their heads but a different kind of warmth.


	6. Chapter 6

Naruto and Hinata walked in comfortable silence, listening to the passing cars and the insects of the season fulfilling their surroundings. They both flinched when a sudden honk bursted their bubble of stillness.

While Hinata wrinkled her forehead at the woman sitting behind the steering wheel of the silver vehicle, Naruto's grasp around her hand stiffened.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" His voice was a mix of bewilderment and panic.

"Mom?" Hinata halted. Their hands quickly separated when they turned their bodies towards the woman, who had already gotten off her car and approached the couple with long strides.

"I saw you from afar and turned the car around." She threw a glance at her son before she moved her gaze to Hinata. It dwelled on the girl, her eyes capturing one physical feature after another. Her lips were curved and she had a certain glint in her eye that had silenced Hinata entirely. Hinata's head was empty and she couldn't do anything but stare.

"Don't you want to introduce us?" Kushina's words sounded more like a demand than a question.

"Ah, right." Naruto straightened his back. "Hinata, this is my mother." He looked at the dark haired girl shortly, while gesturing towards his mother, whose eyes lighted up.

"Mom, this is Hinata Hyuuga," The girl erased her worried expression and bowed her head, not too far to oversee the bolt of surprise rushing over Kushina's face. "my girlfriend," he added. It was hearable that he tried to sound controlled and smooth but he couldn't suppress the side eye he gave Hinata, who was taken aback that he had blurted it out that easily with his mother in company.

"Hyuuga?" Kushina made a step forward and now returned Hinata's gaze expectantly. "From the letter?"

Hinata blinked and nodded hesitantly, wincing when Kushina clapped ecstatically into her hands.

"How nice!" She clutched Hinata's hands and pulled them towards herself. "I didn't know about this. Naruto why haven't you told me?" Her question was directed to her son but she shut him out of her vision and instead inspected his girlfriend.

"I don't know. It was never really the right occasion for it." Naruto scratched the back of his head. But his explanation stayed unacknowledged and uncared for as Kushina was too busy to listen to his words.

"I'm so glad I can finally meet you." She squeezed Hinata's hands and gifted her with the widest smile she had ever seen on a persons face.

Hinata's urge to respond stayed unfulfilled as her vocal chords had lost their functionality.

In the following moments they stayed like this, Naruto pondered if he should butt in, as he wasn't sure if Hinata just felt shy or rather uncomfortable about his mother's overly friendly manner. But Kushina's mouth was quicker than Naruto's brain trying to make a decision.

"You know, it's my birthday today," she said.

"Why are you mentioning that now?" Naruto made a face. "What has that to do with anything?" But just as before, his comments were unrecognized by either Kushina nor Hinata.

"Really, congratulations." Hinata bowed her head for anew. Nevertheless it was one of her principles to be polite and she didn't want to lose that trait of hers with Naruto's mother present, even when she was confused by her behavior.

"Thank you but that's not why I said it." Kushina lowered their hands, still refusing to separate from Hinata wholly.

While the girl waited for the older to continue talking she realized that Naruto resembled his mother very much. At this point it would be too much to say that she knew her very well but Kushina came across bubbly and bright just like him.  
Hinata hadn't been able to make out the character of Naruto's parents from the letter she had received from them. The circumstances under which the letter had been send had prevented it.

But now that she had met Kushina, Hinata knew that she shined as Naruto did. The way their mouths stretched into a wide and beaming smile and their eyes formed crescent moons was identical. This realization made Hinata's lips crook.

"We'll have a party and play baseball today, don't you want to come too?"

"Eh?"

* * *

On their way to a nearby park, Naruto explained the unusual tradition the family had started some years back. It was said that the date of Kushina's birthday was the perfect day to play baseball, as it was in summer and the park wasn't that far away from their house.  
So they played baseball every year with the same people, without exception. Naruto smirked bashfully when he told her, that they had even played in the rain once. It was a weird custom.

"Is that why you're so good at baseball? Because of your family?" Hinata switched the hand with which she carried a bag with some food they would eat at the barbecue they had after playing.

"Well, you could say that." He took the cotton bag from her hand. Hinata's fingers lingered on it for a while when she side eyed his other hand, which was already occupied with carrying something else. But Naruto didn't give in and picked up the bag up while he continued, "My dad actually trained to be a batter but he got injured before he could enter the professional league. His trainer, Jiraiya, later became my godfather."

Hinata viewed his father's back briefly. She had been surprised when Minato had greeted her with a gentle smile at her arrival to their house. Naruto was a spitting image of him. But he was rather soft-spoken and differenced himself greatly from Naruto and Kushina regarding his personality. Still it seemed that he wasn't less eager to watch his son's girlfriend wandering anxiously around their house.

She nodded understandingly. She found it fascinating that she learned new things about Naruto whenever they were together. Sometimes it were trivial things like his favorite color or the food he enjoyed the most.  
But occasionally it were great things like this, that made her wonder if not many people knew about it. It triggered a wave of joy in her when that was the case because it made her feel like getting invited to another circle of Naruto's life. Still unfamiliar but she wanted to explore it to the fullest.

"My godfather taught me a lot of stuff. Some, no, a lot of if was very weird. But he had one or two good tips about baseball," Naruto explained as they passed the archway to the park. "You'll meet him later."

When the ground started to make crouching sounds under their shoes, the singing of the birds and the density of the trees became greater, silence settled between the group of four. Hinata watched Kushina stunningly red hair bob up and down in her walk and fall over her shoulder when she turned her head to her husband.

The further they walked the more tensed Hinata got. Her nervousness required every cell of her consciousness. Would she meet Naruto's family members today? Her short stay at his house had been awkward enough as Kushina and Minato had been the only one unaffected by the strange atmosphere in the air.

"How come the main guest is the one who arrives the latest?!" A tall white haired man approached them as they arrived on a glade.  
Hinata's eyes roamed over the baseball field on one side and the tables on the other side. A good amount of people had already gathered on the benches and looked over to the newcomers. She could recognize the faces of Naruto's friends Sasuke, Sakura, Ino and Shikamaru between them.

A ringing laugh cut her off from inspecting the place any further and the man, who had come over to greet them, patted Minato's and Kushina's shoulder on their way to the others.

Hinata halted when she sighted the mans face. His long white hair and his laugh had already made the back of her head tickle. But his distinguishable features, the small eyes and the wart by his nose, caused her to inhale sharply. There was no doubt that she knew that man.  
Jiraiya was the person, who had given her the tag for her bag at the fare.

_"It isn't just a name tag."_

_"Huh?"_

_"You could see it as... a lucky charm?"_

Goosebumps travelled her skin when she heard him speak as he began chatting with Naruto next to her. He gestured in her direction.  
It was definitely him. His voice was loud and rough, it refreshed her memory and colored the faded images again.

"Naruto got himself a girl I see." His eyes paused on her and Hinata wasn't sure if it was because of her restless expression and her still knitted eyebrows.  
Jiraiya had Naruto in a headlock, they wrestled a little when the younger resounded and asked him to carry the bags instead of attacking him. The man followed his advice after a while of messing up his hair and left the two behind, enjoying himself while taking off.

Hinata didn't notice Naruto turning back towards her again. He eyed her, as if he wanted her to realize that he was back by her side, on her own. "Are you spacing out?"

"Oh, sorry." She broke her gaze away from Jiraiya's back and put on a reassuring smile. Naruto didn't respond immediately. He guessed that she was nervous about meeting so many new people and searched for the right words to encourage her.

"Don't worry, they are not that bad." They walked in the direction of the the party of people.

"How are you all related?" she asked. Him talking would maybe prevent a headache.

"We're not related by blood. My parents have been friends with Sasuke's, Sakura's and Shikamaru's parents since forever." Naruto gestured at the mentioned parents in the group.  
"That dude over there," Naruto pointed at a dark-haired man who talked with Sasuke as he had his arms crossed over his chest "is Sasuke's older brother, Itachi. We pretty much only see him during summer because he studies at a university far away from here." Hinata nodded and mumbled the name to make herself memorize it.

"The one with the book is Kakashi Hatake." The man Naruto was now pointing at had sit down at a wooden table, immersed in a book. "My dad's a teacher and he was his favorite student, like ages ago." Naruto creased a brow. "Seriously, who hangs out with his teacher." It was hearable that he was joking as his previous grimace turned into a grin.

"And Ino just kinda tags along since years. You know her right?" Hinata nodded again. The memory of him awkwardly introducing her to his friends passed her inner eye. In contrary to his motionless male friends, Sakura and Ino had been very friendly and welcomed her with open arms. Hinata was actually glad to meet them here again.

* * *

After playing rock, paper, scissors it was decided that Naruto would be the one to choose Kushina's opponent team. They all had laughed as Shikamaru sighed in relief and thanked God when he lost against him.  
Hinata smiled at how familiar they all were with each other.

Sakura's father joked around a lot, embarrassing his daughter more than just once on this evening. He seemed misplaced between Shikamaru's and Sasuke's father, who both wore a calm expression on their faces.  
The mothers on the other side were all lovely, giggling with each other, separated from the male gender and forming a little group on their own, with Kushina in their midst.

Hinata couldn't stop herself from eyeing Jiraiya for a short while. She was sure that he had been the one at the booth. But she didn't stop there with her thoughts. _"So what?"_ she asked herself. It was not like she could just walk up to him and ask if the prize he had given her a few years ago was magical. The sheer thought of that made her shake the head.  
She didn't even know if it was the tag, that made her capable of reversing time. It was just her only explanation, that lacked in proof big time.

Her stream of consciousness was hard to break after she started thinking about her twisted life. A headache already announced itself at the back of her head when Naruto and Kushina positioned themselves in front of them.

Mother and son stood next to each other and viewed the group of parents, adults and teenagers.  
When Naruto's eyes settled on Hinata's figure he realized a dilemma. If he didn't choose her first, she might feel bad, not forgetting all the comments he would get from the people present. But choosing her first might embarrass her as he wouldn't pick her for her skills but because she was his girlfriend.

Maybe he should just go with his gut feeling and say the first name that came to his mind when it was his time to select, since he was pretty good at talking without thinking.

"Hinata," Kushina exclaimed, suspending his line of thought. "I choose you." Hinata resembled a frightened rabbit.

"But I'm not very good." She advanced to Kushina with small and unsteady steps. Being the center of attention like this was exactly what she didn't want.

"That doesn't matter. Comere." Once the girl was in her reach, Kushina wrapped her arms around her. Hinata heard how Naruto protested but was soon shushed by his mother.  
She could sense their voices but somehow the fact that Kushina had her in a firm embrace overwhelmed her enough to not care about their dispute.

The sensation emerging in her was different from the fuzzy feeling she had when Naruto touched her, which was vast and travelled every part of her body. Right now she just felt warm but so content that she pressed her lips together to keep herself from smiling.

* * *

There were two memorable face-offs throughout the game. The first one was Hinata stepping on the base to hit Naruto's pitched ball. It even made the people in charge of the grill look up from the meat.

While Hinata was visibly affected by the stares and grins Sakura and Ino shot in their direction, Naruto didn't mind them very much. He was far more busy to contain himself from saying something to make her blush.

She looked unbearably adorable in his clothes, which were too big for her. His shorts weren't that short on her anymore and she had to tie it up tightly so that they didn't fall from her hips.

The shirt was tucked into the shorts and the sleeves hitched up because it was too long. Her hair was in a tail and her cheeks appeared chubbier as they weren't covered by her dark strands anymore.  
Only the familiar rosé tone was missing to complete her look.

She was so cute that he had the urge to say it out loud and it was so hard to not give in.

After exchanging nods to confirm that she was ready, Naruto threw the ball. The sound of the bat hitting the ball resounded and Hinata was so surprised about her success that she remained at her place for a moment before she rushed to the first base.

His team members displayed their displeasure about him throwing the ball too lightly but he commented that with a hand gesture.

He knew that Hinata took unimportant things far more serious that she should and that she worried about not being good enough in baseball, possibly even disappointing her team.

The smile she exhibited when standing on the white base was enough for him to overlook the judging eyes on his back. He was simply weak against her smile.

When Minato entered the game in the next inning, Hinata could sense the atmosphere abruptly changing. As if everyone had been waiting for this moment, the attendant crowd fell into silence.

Jiraiya was standing behind Minato as the catcher and crouched into position. He and Naruto communicated severely with their glances and they both appeared like trainer and apprentice more than ever.

While Hinata could detect a gleam of tension in Naruto's eyes, Minato seemed to be his calmest. His face was so peaceful that it nearly didn't fit the situation.  
Two of his teammates were on a base and a good hit could bring the win to them.

Naruto exhaled and threw the ball so powerful and speedily like Hinata hadn't seen before. It wasn't just a leisure game in the park anymore but a battle between two baseball players.

Hinata knew that Naruto was a good player but not because she was very familiar with baseball but because everyone said so.  
Right now she understood that he was the best at it even with her lack of knowledge about the game. Everything about his movements seemed amazing.

One thing she liked the most about Naruto was his bright character but there was something about his serious and concentrated self that attracted her in a different way. It was as if she had found a new Naruto, a rare one that only appeared on certain occasions. A special one.

Minato missed the first ball, making his team members' shoulders slack. When he missed the second ball too, Hinata caught how Kushina moved her fist. She thought that the woman might be mad because it didn't go well for her team but she hissed a "Yes," under her breath, proving that she was rooting for her son rather than her husband and teammate.

"In moments like these a mother can't do anything but root for her son, right?" Kushina realized that Hinata had watched her. But although being caught redhanded she smiled, right when Minato hit the third ball.

The pavement was still warm but the air had cooled down as the sun set behind the horizon.

Hand in hand Naruto and Hinata passed one light post after another, which were the only sources of illumination on their path.

"Was it fun today?" An orchestra of insects singing their songs have surrounded them, setting the mood of a typical summer night with a clear and endless starry sky above them.

"Mhm." Hinata nodded. She tucked at the cardigan Naruto had given her -it was big and warm and smelled like him. "I was worried at first but they were all very nice." She looked at him towards the end of the sentence. Her words relaxed him since he had feared that his "relatives" may be too overwhelming all at once.

Hinata didn't allow the following silence to settle, "You and your grandfather seem to have a very good relationship."

"Yeah, he wasn't really around when I was little but he moved back here a few years ago." The gaze in Naruto's eyes became nostalgic. "Suddenly that old geezer came by nearly everyday to pick me up and go somewhere to play." Naruto chuckled softly. She seldom heard that wistful tone in his voice, that showed how much he must loved his godfather.

"What does he do for living?" Naruto's head backed away in surprise and she pondered if it did because she had stated her question too seriously. He wouldn't know that she had an ulterior reason behind her inquiry and she wasn't impatient for him to find out.

"Why are you asking?"

"I'm just curious." She shrugged to make her acting more believable. As Naruto's eyebrows set to relax and the wrinkles straightened, she knew she had been successful somehow.

"I'm not very proud to say this but," Naruto sighed. "he's an author." Before Hinata had even the chance to ask why that was a bad thing, Naruto moved closer and whispered into her ear, "His works are a little racy."

He broke off into a laugh caused by Hinata's bewildered expression. It was fun to play jokes on her because she was easily flustered. Little did he know that that reaction wasn't caused by his words but his breath so close to her skin that she had shivered.

His laugh lost in volume when they stopped in front of Hinata's house, a pretty white house with big windows and vines climbing up to their heights.  
A room in the upper floor was the only one lighted. He wondered if it was her father's or sister's room.

Naruto wasn't eager to meet Hinata's father at night. He had had the first encounter with him when Hinata laid in the hospital. The brief minutes Hiashi's gaze had clashed with his, had been enough to make him tense up at every little meeting. Every time Naruto saw the man when he passed their house, the boy bowed down stiffly and greeted him with a "Hello, Sir."

Those oddly fair eyes he liked so much on Hinata, had a completely different vibe when it was Hiashi who he looked in the eye.

The front yard was painstakingly kept. The flowers were black and white because of the darkness, unknown to outsiders how colorful but systematically planted they were in daylight.

A little lantern hanging from the metal gate gave the couple a warm white light as they turned towards each other to say their goodbyes.

Hinata slowly lost her grip on his hand until he freed her by letting go. He sensed that she was thinking about something while she watched him but he didn't say anything to disturb her. She looked up at him, again confirming how much he liked looking at her lavender eyes.

"Good night," she said before she lifted herself on her tiptoes and kissed him. It was a short, breathed kiss, that rather resembled a peck. It was shy and pure and the first time Hinata had initiated it, making him feel like his feet being lifted off the ground.

"Good night." His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. Hinata looked away in attempt to find something to eye in the dark nothingness behind his back.

Then she turned around, swirling her ponytail in her pivot, and awakening in him the urge to keep her from leaving him.

Before she opened the gates to her yard she looked back at Naruto, who hadn't moved an inch. She waved at him and wished him a good night for anew. He did the same, his lips awaking from their freeze caused by her lips, and stretched into a smile.

Hinata opened the gate, stepped inside and closed it slowly while looking at him. When the metal clicked from the lock she lifted her hand for a wave again. And again she said goodnight. Naruto did the same, his smile widening. They laughed together, their cheerful voices breaking through the quiet lateness.

Her desire to part was just as little as his and she turned around on the path to her doorstep again. How gravid was the rush in him to open the metal gate between them and abduct her for a few more minutes.

Then she opened the door to the house and turned around again. But her facial expression was changed this time. Instead of a carefree laugh there was a soft and meek smile on her face. The hand Naruto had already rose stopped. She waved at him slowly, seemingly wanting to delay this as much as possible.

"Good night," she said quietly but still reached him as if her words were carried by the soft summer breeze that passed them. He mirrored her with the same expression and gesture.

"Good night."

* * *

**Before you close this fic again I want to remind you how important reviews are for a writer. I mean I put hours of work in this story and it's very disappointing to get just this little amount of feedback. This would be okay if there wouldn't be this many hits. I can see how many visitors this story has and it feels really bad when none of these people leave a comment.**

**So I ask you that if you like this fic please leave a comment. Just a little something. Because when it goes on like this I don't know if I'll have the motivation to go on with this. I'm not asking for much.  
I hope there are some of you who understand why I am like this and don't get annoyed by my last words. Please try to understand my standpoint.**

**elfish**


	7. Chapter 7

Naruto's eyes widened when Hinata stepped into his sight.  
Her hair was put up, one clip adoring the side like a colorful dot in the sea of her indigo hair. Her bangs were brushed to the sides a bit, exposing her forehead for once. It was a rare sight and he internalized as many details as he could.  
She was wearing make up, that made her eyes bigger and her cheeks sweeter from redness. Even under the sparse light she sparkled but might be just his imagination.

The _yukata_ she was wearing had the same lilac color of the flowers he had once seen on her windowsill and she was as lovely as those blossoms, which he could oddly remember very well.  
So often had he heard people say how beautiful girls looked in traditional garments and this was the time he indeed started to believe it was true. She was returning his gaze shyly as he understood the matters of the world a little better and it made his head spin.

She was gorgeous but his body was malfunctioning to express it. So he just stood there, eyes large and face blushing while his friends watched them from afar.

It was hard for Hinata to maintain eye contact and she picked at the skin around her nails.  
Behind him she could see Sakura and Ino throwing mischievous expressions at her direction as they each held a thumb up and it made her flush even more.

The girls had met to get ready for the summer festival today. Hinata had been excited not just because she had a boyfriend to go with this year but also because Sakura and Ino had suggested to dress up together.

She had never done that with anyone before, so she hadn't known how nice it felt to chat while looking for the right thing to wear or how the skin tickled when someone else did the make up for you.  
They had talked much more about unnecessary things than actually getting ready but she remembered every little thing they said.

Their cheery and gleeful personalities reminded her a little of Naruto, just as the contentment of the atmosphere when they had sat in a circle and drank tee together.

Hinata was glad that she could share this kind of memories with them. Even when they had tugged at her bashful side when they promised to make her up so stunningly that Naruto wouldn't be able to say a word.  
Since it seemed like their plan had worked, they grinned in success.

Hinata switched to eyeing the red gate they were standing under when Shikamaru came up from behind and interrupted the couple's staring. He said something that both didn't understand because their minds hadn't been in the here and now yet.

Luckily their inattention wasn't discovered as Naruto's friends joined them. With some of them Hinata was still unfamiliar with.  
One friend introduced himself as Chouji, a boy with a bigger stature, who had arrived together with Shikamaru. Sasuke was already walking ahead when a dark haired boy named Sai casted Hinata a smile.

He stepped closer to her, saying that it was nice to finally meet her. Sai smiled softly but the longer she watched his face and the closer he got, the odder his facial expression became.

"Naruto told me a lot about you," he said, still smiling in his strangely awkward way and Hinata took little steps back.

"Dude, don't weird her out like that." Naruto had placed his hand on his friends face and pushed him further away, protectively getting closer to his girlfriend.

"I'm just being friendly." He stroked the place where Naruto had pushed him, looking at him in innocence and confusion.

"No, you're being a creep again."

The others already walked towards the venue when Naruto and his friend continued to discuss the proper ways of introducing themselves to people.  
Hinata listened to their exchange for a while and started giggling. The thought of meeting Naruto's friends had made her nervous but she felt somewhat lighter now.

They joined the crowd of people walking down the street towards the venue of the festival, which glowed in the warm light of the lanterns even when they still had some distance to walk.  
The noises got louder, the lights brighter and the air stickier the closer they got to the booths of the summer festival.

Naruto walked next to Hinata, occasionally chatting with his friends but not moving from her side. She didn't really talk to him but that was okay since she felt like being monitored by his friends whenever she even looked at him. She would barely be able to utter a sentence that way.

In front of her Sakura was talking with Sasuke while she overtook the part of talking and he of listening. Hinata couldn't hear a word she said but her pretty eyes reflected the lights of the lanterns as she looked up at the boy, who Hinata hadn't been able to say a word to as she felt intimidated just by his presence -even when Naruto had called him his best friend.

At one point in their walk Ino had approached Hinata, asking which food she wanted to eat followed by a heated discussion with Chouji about what was the best festival snack. It was fun listening to them and Hinata was relieved that Naruto had chosen friends that welcomed a stranger like her this brightly.

She smelled the different foods when passing the steams of deliciousness, contributing to the jolly ambient of gleaming lights and romping children holding up their masks.

When Hinata's eyes found a booth with a ring tossing game she gradually stopped walking.  
From the time she had set foot on the busy street, there was an ominous sensation in her head and now she wasn't able to avoid it anymore as she could put her finger on why she had been feeling this way. Her chest tightened in the realization.

Years ago Jiraiya had stood in booth with the same game. He had given her the tag that day, from which she still wasn't sure if it actually gave her the power of turning time or not.

_The white haired man snickered when she couldn't make her last toss._

_"You made just one shot, I think that's only worth a consolation prize." Hinata frowned a brow at his expression as it seemed like he wasn't really sure what her failing at this game meant for him to do. Wasn't this his booth anyway?  
She wasn't really disappointed at losing since she hadn't been that eager to win. She had played the game casually because it hadn't appeared that hard and she wanted to kill some time._

_The man scanned his surroundings and scratched the back of his head, when he found a basket on the ground._

_"Here, choose anything you want, kiddo." The plastic basket was filled with little colorful things that no one really needed. Animal figures, keychains and other knick-knacks that looked like they would break any moment she touched them._

_Between these things Hinata saw a plastic flower tag. It was a sunflower, its discolored, yellow petals gave away that it wasn't new. But at least she could use it as a name tag for her bag, so it was lesser useless than the other things.  
She reached for it and the man pulled away the basket. Puzzled he looked inside of it before he eyed her hand that held her claimed prize._

_"It isn't just a name tag," he spoke in a voice that sounded even more rough than before._

_"Huh?" Hinata timidly backed away when his gaze travelled up to her face._

_"You could see it as… a lucky charm?" His bitter laugh and his unsurely stated words made it hard for her to believe him._

_She wanted to turn around and leave but somehow it felt like the silence was prohibiting her from going. The man's eyes dwelled on her and it made her uncomfortable. Hinata took a few steps back.  
He opened his mouth to say something but closed it right away, allowing her to disappear with the consolation prize in her hand._

"Hinata!" Naruto's calling threw her out of her memories. Her arms flinched and she gave Naruto a look that made it seem like she had forgotten where she was.  
It was like her senses awakened again, the noises around her gained in volume and the smell of food in intensity.

"It's pretty crowded, don't leave without saying anything." He had closed in until just a few inches were between them, placing his hands on her shoulders and rose his voice against the uproar around them.

"I'm sorry. I spaced out a little." Hinata laughed shyly and unintentionally fumbled with the zipper of her handbag. One day he would probably ask her why she was constantly somewhere else with her mind.

"What were you staring at anyway?" Naruto shifted, his hands not moving away from her body, and peaked at the ring tossing game that was offered.  
He grinned. "You wanna play?"

"Huh?" One part of her was relieved that he had labeled her absence behavior with a desire to play a booth game. She shook her head and stretched her lips into a smile. "Not really. Let's find the others again."

She escaped his grip and moved to search for the group of friends they had lost but due to her lack of height she wasn't able to look very far. How long had she been standing here that she couldn't see a single one of Naruto's friends?  
Naruto's anew grasp around her wrist prevented her from expanding her search area.

"Let's just go around without them." The nervousness he hid behind his earnest expression silenced Hinata even until seconds after the last word had left his mouth. "Just the two of us." The darkening of his ears, which couldn't completely be covered by his strands, hinted at his embarrassment.

"I want to be alone with you," he added, surrounded by masses of people but Hinata understood what he meant and suddenly she felt exactly the same. There was a heat inside of her, stoked by his words and the humidity.

His eyes averted and the grip around her wrist became tighter.  
"This looks fun. Let's play."

Hinata didn't worry much about the ring tossing game. She tried playing a little, guessing that she wasn't very good at it. She rather watched Naruto getting too serious between the many little children around him. He exclaimed loudly when his ring managed to slip onto one of the wooden poles and grunted when they didn't.  
Sometimes she wondered where his source of energy was for him to display this sort of childish happiness, that made her forget her sorrows for a while.

They played other games as well and in their breaks they shared some food and watched whatever interesting thing they could find.

When the street got less busier because they arrived at a point, where few booths had been built halfway, Hinata seized her chance to stop walking for a while.

"One moment." A hold on Naruto's arm prevented him from walking further. She moved to the side of the road and bend down to reach her feet. Naruto followed her to the wooden gate in front of the unfinished booths.

"Do your feet hurt?" he asked, facing the top of her head.

"No, the straps of my sandals slipped." But even with holding onto the railing, reaching her heels wasn't that easy in the _yukata_, that stretched around her body, preventing her from moving as freely as she wanted to.

"Let me." Naruto's blond hair entered her vision as he knelt down to her feet. She shot up and gave her best to prevent her toes from curling under his fingers. Her body seemed to memorize every touch he made adjusting her strap.  
Maybe the situation messed up her sense of time but his work on her shoes took longer that this task normally would.

His fingers seemingly lingered in every movement and while she asked herself when he would raise his head and face her again, his voice, subdued from the surrounding noises, got through her ears.  
"You look pretty today."

He had already taken his hands off of her but refused to stand up, as Hinata eyed his wild, blond hair. When his eyes moved upwards to peek at her reaction and saw her baffled expression he jumped up.

"Don't get me wrong. You're always pretty but today it's like… a special kind of pretty?" His mouth was so busy with explaining his intentions that he nearly bit his tongue. But the features on Hinata's surprised face didn't waver.

She was usually the one who got flustered and red when talking. She had noticed him getting bashful at some occasions but never to an extent that it could be compared to her constant embarrassed state. The comments he made to make her blush fell so easily from his lips. The way he touched her like it was the most natural thing in the world had made her imagine that it wasn't that big of a deal for him as it was for her.

"I mean. Every day is special but eh… today it's es-especially special." He grimaced when he heard the strangeness of his own words. "Okay, this sounds weird. I'm really bad at this." His voice indicated that he gave up on explaining any further and probably worsening the situation. Hinata broke into a smile when she saw that he moved his bottom lip forward and bloated his nostrils.

Right now he was getting flustered over something he had once said to her while grinning from one ear to the other. Yet he was stammering this time and Hinata started smiling when she understood why.  
He wasn't saying it to make her bashful this time or to be playful because it was so easy to play jokes on her but because he genuinely wanted to compliment her. His words were completely serious this time and those kind of words were much harder to utter.

"You aren't that bad," she said and finally awakened from her rigidity, taking few steps forward to overcome the left distance that parted them.

"Really?" He wasn't really convinced but when he saw the smile on her, the corners of his mouth lifted.

For a moment they just looked at each other and it seemed like the noises around them started to blend out bit by bit. Hinata's eyes slowly shut as she closed in and Naruto moved to cup her face.

The girl didn't notice the loud clatter behind her that lessened in proximity and caught Naruto's alertness. While she waited for his lips to touch hers she was instead pushed to the ground by him.  
The palm of her hand scraped up on the asphalt but the pain was secondary when a scooter passed her and crashed into Naruto right where she had stood not even a second ago. The vehicle bounced off the wooden railing and its driver fell to the ground along with his wheeler.

Naruto was thrown over the fence and crashed into the brokenly, left booth. Hinata was still paralyzed on the ground when the weak pillars fell and the wooden beams of the roof fell right on Naruto, burying him under their hardness.  
There was shouting and screaming. Passerby had already stopped walking, open mouths covered by their hands and shocked eyes fixating the building that had completely broken down.

The wheels of the roller kept spinning when the driver pulled out his legs from under it, his face distorted in horror.  
Despite the many present it was dead silent for a moment before several people rushed to the stack of woods to look for the buried boy.  
One person called an ambulance but Hinata knew that it was too late for that measures not because she had a grave medical knowledge but because it had always been too late.

Someone tried to help her stand up but her knees were weak and she couldn't stand for long. Her eyes stared at the spot where Naruto was lying even though her view was blocked.

She had seen him dying so many times, too many times. Someone might have guessed that the shock would lessen but it didn't, in fact this time it felt worse than all the others before.  
It was because she had hoped, after all this weeks of nothing happening, she wouldn't have to experience this anymore, also because he had pushed her out of the way so she didn't get hurt and because he wasn't just her classmate anymore.

Hinata clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white and her nails imprinting into her skin but the pain in her limps wasn't grand enough to overshadow the one in her chest. Her body trembled in emotions, her throat feeling sore all of sudden. Yet rather than sadness her stomach seethed in anger. She was so enraged at whatever made this happen over and over again that the flame of madden displaced her sorrow.

Her eyes still fixating the point in the distance, she pushed away the person who had tried to help her up. Instead she rose on her feet herself. It was hard at first, as her legs felt like jello but her fury energized her and she grunted.

"Hey!" she shouted at nothing and no one in particular but everyone turned to look at her. "Is this a joke?!"

It felt like she had opened a tap of hot water that couldn't be closed anymore. "Why are you doing this?! What did I do to deserve this?!"

She looked up at the sky as if the answer to her questions would be up there somewhere. It was obvious that there was none but the fact that there was no reply in the dark, nothingness above her fueled her anger even more.  
People inspected her as if she was going crazy.

"What do you even want me to do?!" This was the first time Hinata had ever screamed at anything but she rose her voice in vain. She wouldn't get anything in return. No answers, nothing that showed her the way she had to go from now on and no reason why she was the chosen one to witness this. Just a blanket of cold nothingness.

Hot tears prickled at the corners of her eyes and her vision started to get blurry in time with her slacking knees.

Hazy faces approached her to calm her down but she pushed them away, her legs were powerless but somehow she managed to take a few steps towards Naruto.

"Just tell me what to do." Her voice cracked, the sadness within finally overtaking her anger. Shoulders trembling, she couldn't push away the people trying to support her anymore and her voice died in her airway.  
Her throat, her hands, her chest, everything hurt, acquiring all the energy she had left. "Please."

She shut her eyes and after barely feeling the hotness of them under her lids, the buzzing noises of her surroundings disappeared.

When Hinata opened them again, Naruto's blond shock of hair was in her vision. He had kneeled down, fumbling with the straps of her shoes.

"You look pretty today."

It might be his words that had kept her from going back further in time. Selfishly she wanted to hear them again but couldn't prevent the lump in her throat from forming and her bottom lip from trembling.  
Even though she had heard those words in the same tone and manner just a few minutes ago, they sounded completely different in her ears now.

She couldn't manage to say anything in response, as she was occupied enough to not start crying right at the spot. And when Naruto looked up at her, his anxious blue eyes gathering the courage they needed to face her, she couldn't react the way she wanted to.  
His words, voice, and gaze still flattered her but not as overwhelmingly as before.

He jumped up when realizing the sad mood in her glimpse.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked in panic, lifting his hands, apologizing for whatever had made her like this.  
Hinata shook her head and sniffled before grabbing his arms with both her hands.

Naruto appeared lost and confused when she guided him away from where they were standing. He called her name several times but there was no reply on her part so he started to get anxious. He rewinded his words and actions as if there had been something he had missed and he had to be sorry for but he couldn't find anything.

She didn't face him, not even when they stopped after walking a good distance.  
There were masses of people around them, chatting and laughing loudly. Music played somewhere from afar. Nevertheless the silence between them was vast as if there was actually nothing and no one around them.

Hinata finally looked at him but he couldn't really read what her gaze meant and the feelings behind them. Somehow her eyes seemed dull. He didn't say anything because it felt like it was her turn to do so.

Naruto heard a motor behind him and a loud thud not long after. Something scratched the surface of the asphalt and made a group of people around resound. He was about to turn and check what was happening when he felt Hinata's arms embracing him. She held him tightly, pulling him towards her like it was her duty to prevent him from giving his attention to anything else but her.

She buried her face in his chest and embraced him so firmly and with such strength that he wouldn't be able to untangle her arms around him. The hair of her bun tickled his chin.

"Hinata?" He wanted to push her away a little so that he could see her face but she shook her head, still dug in his shirt, and squeezed him even more.

"Let's just stay like this for a while," she said after several moments of stillness and he obeyed her words. Somehow it felt like the right thing to do at this moment even when passerby started to stare at their public display of affection and whisper in each others ears. But Naruto was much more worried about the reason that had made Hinata like this, even when he was silently pleased about her closeness.

From the side he saw a scooter passing them, the loud motor disturbing the content peace. Naruto sensed Hinata's fingers clenching his clothes in her fists as he looked down at the crown of her head. She felt much more tense now that he had his arms around her too. Was she quivering under his hug?

Hinata rose her head from his chest and locked her eyes with his. It felt like eternity since he had seen this fair orbs the last time. The girl gulped visibly, looking at him with the most severe expression he had ever seen on her face.  
Yet her eyes glistered in grief.

"There is something I want to tell you."


	8. Chapter 8

_"You knew that car was gonna hit me because you experienced it before?"_

_"Yes."_

_"And you went back in time to prevent it from happening?"_

_"...Yes."_

A buzzing phone disturbed the silence. The vibration was muffled by the blanket it was lying on. Somehow Hinata's eyes were mesmerized by the caller's name that was displayed.  
Naruto.

The screen showed a picture he had taken with her phone. He was grinning widely into the camera, a confused Hinata looking at him in the background. He had set it as his contact photo and she hadn't bothered to change it because she relished looking at it. Whenever he called her she would observe the image for a while and dwell a little in the memories before answering.

Usually she would smile seeing it but this time it increased her irritation. She thrusted a pillow on the phone, muffling the buzzing noise some more.  
Who knew if she would be able to see that face of sunshine ever again. At least, he wouldn't give her that kind of expression anymore.

Hinata let her body fall on the bed, her head landing directly on the pillow over her phone. She pulled in her legs and embraced them with her arms as the memories from the festival flashed in front her inner eye.

She had told Naruto about turning time and trying to save his life but it felt unreal when recalling it. Her words were blurry when she tried to remember how she had chosen to explain it. At one point all the frustration she had locked in her heart rose to the surface and she teared up. The memories were so hazy that a part of her doubted their realness.

Yet something she saw as clear as glass were Naruto's baffled features. His confusion and disbelief of her words. How strange the situation had sounded when he rewinded it with his own words. The way he had looked at her like he asked himself how he could date such a crazy person -it hurt even when she had expected all of it.

Hinata buried her face in her pillow, covering her eyes that were on the verge of tearing up again as if there was someone in the room worth hiding them from. There was no one, she was alone with her self blame. This wasn't how she had imagined her summer break.

An unknown amount of time passed before someone knocked on her door. She refused to answer. First because she was too worn out to even raise her voice and secondly because she didn't want anyone to see her in this distress.

The door was opened either way and she heard someone entering. The person resounded from the doorframe and Hinata concluded that it was her sister.

"Your boyfriend came by," Hanabi said. Even when Hinata didn't see the girl, she could feel the piercing of her eyes in her neck. She had acquired a sternness Hinata had only seen in her father's gaze.

"Is that so." Hinata turned her head since it was harder to talk against a pillow.

"Yes." Hanabi's voice sounded sceptic. "I told him that you were sick and sleeping right now."

When Hinata just replied with a short "Huh" her little sister continued.

"He didn't look like he wanted to leave. Don't you think that you should to talk to him?"

"Probably." She knew that she had to but hoped that it could be delayed for just a little longer.

The room stayed silent for some time and Hinata was unsure if it were seconds or minutes that ticked away before the door closed again.

She had assumed that her sister left but when she heard steps approaching her, Hinata lifted her head from her pillow.  
Hanabi was looking right at her, the solemnity in her glimpse made Hinata wonder what exact emotion it was carrying. Was she angry or maybe even disappointed in her sister pitiful appearance?

"Did he do something to you?" she asked and Hinata sat up so instantly that her head started to spin.

"No," the older answered after a while. "It was my fault."

Hanabi overthought that answer and then crawled on the bed, leaning against the wall as she resumed in observing her sister.

"That's hard to believe." Her finger drew circles on the blanket.

Hinata frowned. "Why?" She shifted so that she could sit next to Hanabi at the wall.

"Because you are considerate and always do the right thing." The girl had looked up towards the end of the sentence, returning Hinata's gaze so sincerely that her eyes were enough for Hinata to realize that she truly believed her own words.  
Somehow it made her ashamed of the red traces under her eyes, which she had attained from crying.

"Not really." Her voice was barely a whisper but its weak volume was enough for Hanabi to shake her head vigorously.

"No, it's true." Hanabi moved closer so that her shoulder was brushing her sisters. "Sometimes you are so worried about others that you forget your own well-being."

Hinata took some time to think about her sisters words. Was that the impression she had on others? Or were it just kind words from her sister, who she knew adored her since they were little.  
That description was too generous for her.

"What happened with Naruto?" Hinata had guessed that that question would fall eventually but she wasn't able to reply.

"Can't tell me?" Hanabi leaned forward to get a better view on Hinata's face but she could have easily seen that head shaking from afar.

She hadn't believed to be successful with her question but Hanabi was an optimistic person and always carried a gleam of hope in her chest.

"Did you do something wrong?" Hanabi didn't miss a beat to ask the next question. "Do you regret it?"

Hinata opened her mouth to answer but her voice got stuck in her throat. She wanted to say that she was, that she regretted telling him, that she wanted everything back as it was before. But she realized that that wasn't true.  
It was hard seeing him die but it was much harder that she was completely alone with it, keeping it inside of her until it would eventually eat her alive.

"If it wasn't wrong and you don' t regret it, wasn't it the right thing to do?"

"I guess so." In Hinata's voice swung the tone of astonishment at how wise her sisters explanation was and how they had come to this deduction.  
She narrowed her head, placing her chin between her naked knees. "But I'm still scared of the consequences. I'm such a coward."

Hanabi watched her tightly pressing her lips together and, with weary eyes, fixating a point on the other side of the room.

The younger shifted even closer as if her body warmth could help in consoling.

"I think you just don't like to see people unhappy. You dislike fights and heated discussion because you can't handle that kind of atmosphere. You had never been very good with those, that's why you're avoiding it. That's just your personality."

Hinata felt bad upon hearing those far too noble praises.  
They weren't true. She didn't avoid Naruto for his sake or because of her dislike for discussions. She avoided him because she didn't want to get hurt by his reaction. She was scared, that's why she was lying on her bed for hours, without awareness of the last time she had eaten something, like a miserable person.

"But you have enough courage to face them if you have to. I'm sure." Hanabi's lips stretched into a smile, a pure honest smile that was contagious and made Hinata lift the corners of her mouth as well. She couldn't help herself from feeling consoled and better.

And for the next moments there were just her and this angel like girl, encouraging her that being herself was a good.  
Hinata hugged her -tightly, thankful that she had crawled on her bed instead of getting scared away by Hinata's harshness.

"When did you become so thoughtful?" Hinata stroked her sister's brown her, that felt silky under her fingers.

Hanabi snickered and quivered in her embrace.

"Sometimes big people need help from little people."

* * *

Hinata took a deep breath for the last time before pushing the button of the bell.  
And it seemed as if her doubts of this being a good idea returned with the resounding in the house.  
What if his parents opened the door? She might even disturb their peaceful evening as the sun was already setting in the distance. Should she come back tomorrow? But she already ringed the bell.

Even when she had persuaded herself that she was prepared to face Naruto, firmly embracing the encouragements of her sister, she was still caught off guard when the door opened and Naruto was standing right in front of her.

He was surprised, that she could tell from the size of his eyes and his inability to close his mouth completely. His sight chased away all the sentences she had carefully prepared for this conversation. But being still was the last thing she wanted so gulped down the lump in her throat.

"I'm sorry." Hinata fumbled with her fingers in front of her chest. "For ignoring you like that, I'm sorry. That wasn't fair."  
Naruto opened the door a little more, seemingly welcoming her apology.

"I was scared what you might think of me after that so I couldn't face you." The urge to look away from his indefinable expression grew. "But I'm ready to hear it now."

"I believe you," he blurted out too loudly, his words probably hearable from the other side of the street. He realized his own volume and continued in a chaste voice. "That's what I wanted to tell you."

"What?" That wasn't what she had expected him to say when she was lying on her bed in agony. It was so far from what she had expected that she needed to hear it at least one more time to truly grasp it.

"I believe what you told me." Naruto had stepped outside the house unsure if he should touch her or not. If he was allowed to use that method to convince her.  
Hinata looked at him as though he had told her the world would be ending tomorrow, eyes as enlarged and hands cramped at her chest.

"Why?" It was the same word, the same tone and stated in the same manner as her reply when he had told her that he liked her. How come she never seemed to believe his words?

"I... I just do." Naruto pondered to think about an explanation to give on how he believed her but his mind couldn't make up phrases to define the matters of his heart. He shrugged.

"Is it that easy for you?" A hollow laugh escaped her mouth.

"Mhm." He nodded innocently and still she couldn't understand how simple this was for him to accept. She had told him that she was jumping through time, trying to prevent him from dying but he agreed to it so easily as if she had just reminded him that the sky was blue.

"I mean, it does sound kinda weird though."

"Kinda weird?" Hinata chuckled bitterly at the absurdity. "I told you that I'm reversing time to save you from danger." She stared him deeply in the eye to make sure that he truly understood what she had revealed. Because his lightness to deal with it made her reluctant that he had.

"That's not just weird, it's ridiculous," she added.

"Yeah, but it does explain a lot." Did it really? Shouldn't it bring up more questions and confusion? Was Naruto a saint of some kind? How was it possible for him to be this understanding.

"Also, I don't think that you're a person who would lie to me like that." His upcoming smile casted away Hinata's suspicion. Her heart was dazed and fluttered at how much she liked that expression on him. An expression she had thought he wouldn't share with her again.

"I trust you," he said softly yet the words ringed in her ears. Over and over again, gaining in importance the often it echoed in her head.  
Hinata looked down because she could already feel the sobs carve. Her eyes were getting hot and starting to burn because she tried to keep her tears from falling.

"Hey, why are you crying?" Despite the way she blocked his view with her bangs he could see the trembling of her bottom lip. When he stepped closer to her he realized that they were still standing in the doorframe.

"Because I..." She sniffled. "I was afraid that you won't want to see me again." Hinata was still refusing to lift her head but brushed away her tears with the palm of her hand. At this point there was no need to hide that she was crying.  
Naruto knew that she was and Hinata was aware of that.

"I've never told anyone about this because I was so scared of how they would react and that they would shut me out," she whimpered. Her body shook terribly and her breath hitched from time to time. Naruto's hands cramped because they desired to hold her.

"But you accepted it so easily even if it's totally crazy and I'm... I'm so relieved." Her voice was already hoarse and her crying prevented her from saying more even when the words of thankfulness were waiting on her tongue to be uttered.

Naruto placed his hand on her upper arm. She was surprised by the touch so he lingered there a while and stroked her with his thumb before he moved down her arm. Slowly, so that she didn't miss a moment of his comforting caress. He stopped at her wrist and tightened his grip, pulling her lightly towards him then.

He stepped back inside and guided her with him, as she finally looked up. And when she locked her eyes with his he smiled. Not wide and brightly like he usually did but softly and with care as if the bending of his lips had the ability to banish the tears.  
Naruto rose his hands, one to cup her face and the other to close the door as he leaned in on his girlfriend to kiss her.

His lips were hesitant at the beginning but firmer when she returned with hers. The kiss was wet because she had cried and he could feel the tears on the tip of his nose and tasted their saltiness.  
Hinata moved in, her frown fading as she placed her hands on his chest. She sensed his fingers on her neck and in her hair.  
His kiss was soothing and his touch comforting.

* * *

"Minato." The hissing voice of his wife resounded from the next room. He stood up from his bed and walked over as he wondered how it was possible for her to whisper that loudly.  
The couple had just arrived at home. It was already past midnight and he was exhausted. There was nothing else he wanted more than a good night sleep.

"Quickly," he heard Kushina again and did to her command.

When he stepped next to her and traced the finger she was pointing at something in the corner he had to blink several times to be certain that his sleep deprived eyes weren't fooling him.

There were Naruto and his girlfriend lying on his bed, arms wrapped around each other and eyes tightly shut.  
It was too dark to see everything clearly but the sight was enough for the parents to stand there, at the doorframe of their son's room, in shock.  
Naruto's light snoring was hearable as Kushina turned her head towards her husband.

"What should we do?" Her shocked mien was replaced with pure bewilderment of how to deal with this situation. "Wake them up?"

"Now?" Minato whispered back and leaned down so that he didn't have to speak too loudly. "It's pretty late already."

"So we just let them?" Kushina furrowed a brow. It wasn't like that thought hadn't crossed her mind but she wasn't sure if that was the sample solution for this case.

"There isn't much we can do at this point anyway and they seem to be just sleeping." Another glance at the young couple, who were undisturbed by the adults' discussion, reassured him in his statement.

"Do you really think that that's what parents are supposed to do in this scenario?"

"I don't know but we can talk to them tomorrow." He placed a hand on her shoulder and both moved to leave the room.

"Fine then." And as they closed the door and distanced themselves from Naruto's room they pondered about how much their son had grown already.

* * *

The morning sun rays tickled Naruto awake. He moaned as he rubbed his eye, his breath hitching when Hinata's sleeping figure was the first thing he saw.  
His foggy memories cleared when he recalled the events of the former day and placed his head back on the pillow. The arm, he had lifted from her waist in stunner, he pulled to his chest.

She was still sleeping, her face in the shadow of the halfway closed curtains and thus protected from the culprit that had woken him.  
Naruto couldn't remember falling asleep and if they had laid down this closely from the beginning. So closely that his toes touched hers and he could inspect every inch of her face in detail.

Hinata emitted a warmth that made his body give in into the coziness and forget how bashful having her so close to him made him. How it should make him feel hot and prickly inside. But with him being the only one awake it was comfortable and his arms itched to wrap themselves around her again.  
Her eyes were puffy from crying and her face swollen because it was morning. Together with her white skin she looked like a sweet dumpling. He wanted to poke her cheek and explore her skin, figure out if it was as soft as it looked.

But his curiosity was driven away when the target of his observation opened her eyes. So suddenly that Naruto was paralyzed by their abrupt eye contact.  
Hinata laid there, limps without any movements and her pupils flashing around the room as if there was much more to see in this position than Naruto.

"Morning," he said to get rid of the prolonged silence. His husky voice jabbed Hinata's heart and let it pound harder against her chest. It sounded more intimate than everything else he had said before this moment.

"Good morning."

Sluggishly they were contemplating on how to sit up without the atmosphere getting more awkward when someone knocked on the door.  
Both their heads shot up right away, their eyes fixating the door in fear of someone coming inside and seeing them on the bed together. They had fallen asleep as he consoled her but how would they explain that to his parents.

"Naruto, wash up, breakfast is ready." Naruto sighed that his mother didn't enter as she often did in the morning. Maybe he would be able to sneak Hinata out before someone noticed. "There is a table set for Hinata too, so don't forget to bring her down with you."

Naruto and Hinata exchanged widened gazes, coming down from the bed as quickly as they could.  
It seemed like they had a silent conversation through their eyes as they moved around and tried to think of a plan but realized that they didn't have any other option than going down and eating breakfast with Naruto's parents.

They timidly left the bedroom and descended the stairs, now and then pausing in their walk as if there was much more to see than picture frames on the walls.  
Hinata was holding Naruto's shirt at his back as she followed his lead into the kitchen, breathing in one more time before stepping in.

Minato and Kushina were already sitting at the prepared breakfast table. Wherein Minato smiled as gentle as ever, Kushina welcomed the younger with a judging expression, that she tried to veil behind a grin.

The day seemed brighter in the kitchen with the white walls and the green cupboards. It was tidy and every utensil seemed to have its designation somewhere in the room. Silver pots reflected the sunlight shining from the window and from outside the noises of morning fulfilled the air.

The table was set plentifully, it was too much for the small amount of people. Every bowl of rice was filled over the edge. In the middle was a pot with a steaming broth surrounded by many side dishes.  
The fragrance of the food finally managed to infuse Hinata's senses and, despite the situation, she had to admit that it smelled delicious.

While Naruto only muttered a quick "Morning" Hinata bowed far down and wished the parents a good morning, her hands placed politely on her stomach as she did so.

They returned the greetings and the couple sat down at the table, being careful with their movements.

Hinata was relieved that she only had to face the gentleness of Naruto's father while he had to look into the indecisive eyes of his mother.

The group started eating as a silence lingered in the air that weighted heavily on their shoulders. It was like every cluttering of tableware and every resounding of chopsticks on the porcelain echoed in the room.  
Four pairs of eyes darted around, all waiting for someone to say the first word.  
With the anxiousness around them, the food was nearly tasteless.

"So, you guys slept together?" Kushina's attack like question made Naruto cough on his rice. The scene resembled a combat and Kushina had just hit her son K.O., innocently monitoring them as if she wasn't aware of that.

"Mom, Dad I can totally explain that." Naruto coughed in between the words, holding his hand to his mouth as Hinata tapped on his back. She didn't say anything because she knew the words wouldn't fall from her lips no matter how much she wanted them to.

"Hinata came over to talk so we hung out afterwards." His explanation was loud and hasty like there was a need for them to defend themselves as fast as they could.

His parents' gazes were expectant, craving for further explanation.  
"Exactly on the day we told you that we would be out late?" Kushina's brow had risen far up.

"That was a coincidence." Hinata nodded silently since she was the one who had come over without informing him, as Naruto continued. "We somehow fell asleep. There was nothing else, we were just sleeping. Really. Only sleeping."

Kushina sighed.  
"I guess you're telling the truth." Minato patted her shoulder and tried to smile in a way that would help Naruto to regain his composure. The parents hadn't doubted that the youngsters had been just sleeping. But his wife wasn't the type who would just let this matter slide.

"Still, at your age it could have been much more than just sleeping." The mother leaned forward, supporting herself on the table with her elbow.  
Naruto flushed at what his mother was implying.

"There was no need to talk about this up until now because you had no girlfriend."

"Mom, please don't." The boy had widened his eyes and sank down in his chair while Hinata's head was already swept empty. The situation was instantly much more awkward than she had feared.

Yet Kushina proceeded undisturbed. "But now you do and maybe there are some things we need to clarify."  
Minato wasn't sure anymore if his wife had the genuine interest to give the children the talk of the birds and bees or if she just seized the chance to mock them.

"You are growing into adults and at some point when you're together you'll probably feel this odd sensation-"

"God, Mom. You're making this far worse. Can we not talk about this now? Aren't we trying to have breakfast?!" Naruto had found his voice again and wanted to rant further and louder but he was considerate of Hinata sitting next to him. A glance at her assured him that she at least hadn't tried to escape yet.  
Her face had the same deep red color like his ears.

"The earlier the better. There can't be a more suitable occasion than now when we're sitting altogether like this. What could be a better time?"

"Never! Never is a very good time for this," he exclaimed but that didn't stop his mother.

* * *

Despite the speed of the car the lush green fields seemed endless behind the window.  
On the seats behind her, Hinata could hear Sakura and Ino chatting. Their voices were barely hearable against the motor of the minibus.  
Sasuke was sitting next to his girlfriend, his eyes closed and head leaned against the window.  
She didn't know him enough to guess if he made that frigid face because he was annoyed by the noises and tired or if that was the way his face looked like on a daily basis.

Hinata brushed away the few strands that had loosened from her ponytail. The air con didn't work properly so the windows needed to be opened, whirling up all the hair that wasn't tamed in a plait.  
The air was hot and the wind from the open windows wasn't enough to cool it down, only whipping the occupants with its heat.  
She could feel the wetness of her neck from her sweat that had established a film on her skin.  
Her arm was pushed against Naruto's and that contact made her feel even hotter.

Right when she looked up at him the sun broke through the clouds and showered his profile in its golden light. It blended her but she let her eyes dwell on his figure for a little longer before averting to the other side.  
Kiba's seat was on her right and a little apart from her but she could see him playing a game on his cellphone, occasionally rejoicing when he won.

When she had told her father that Naruto and his friends had invited her to their annually trip to his godfather's beach house, Hiashi had insisted that Kiba and Shino would be accompanying her even when the destination wasn't that far away from Konoha.  
Hinata had actually been happy with her friends joining but their presence in the group had made the atmosphere somewhat strange.

Maybe it was because of Shino's unfamiliar vibe that not every one could easily get used to or just the overall awkwardness that arose when strangers were in the midst.

Shino sat alone in front of Kiba. Sometimes they would share words unheard from everyone else but the most of the time he would stay motionless, his shades protecting him from the sun and making others wonder if he was awake behind them.

To his left (or in front of her) then were Shikamaru and Chouji, the later she was meeting only the second time today.  
Their exchange could barely be called a conversation as Shikamaru was only silently listening to the words of his friend, his thick ponytail moving in wind.

And lastly her gaze lowered on Jiraiya behind the wheel. She still didn't know what to think of him. He was Naruto's godfather and she knew how he treasured him.  
He had told her mostly good things about him so it was hard to think bad of the man also because she had no clear evidence to think otherwise.

But she had a feeling in her stomach. A little spark that intensified the longer she observed him.  
Him giving her that tag hadn't been senseless.  
And for this vacation she had set the goal to find out the meaning.


End file.
